Men's Soccer | 10.23.2025

LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (5-6-3) at
DALLAS BAPTIST (5-5-3)
Saturday, Oct. 25 – 7 p.m.
LCU Soccer & Track Complex – Lubbock, Texas
 
CHAPARRAL HEADERS

• After back-to-back wins against Oklahoma Christian and West Texas A&M, Lubbock Christian returns home for a matchup against Dallas Baptist on Saturday
• Senior forward Manu Nunez ranks second in the Lone Star Conference in shots with 38 and has put 19 of those on goal, scoring for the first time this season against OC last week
• Senior defender and team captain Geoffroy Letienne leads the team in time on the field with 1237 minutes played. He also led the team in 2024 with 1452 minutes
• Connor Pettigrew matched his season-high with six saves in last week's win over the Eagles, with all six coming in the second half. He now has 50 this season
• This contest will kick off the final homestand of the season for the Chaparrals, as they host Midwestern State on Oct. 29

 
OFFENSIVE OUTPUT
Lubbock Christian netted a pair of goal in Wednesday's win at West Texas A&M and scored twice against Oklahoma Christian last week, marking the first time this season they have scored multiple goals in back-to-back games. Francisco Horta scored the game-winner against the Buffs for his fourth goal of the season, which leads the team and ranks fourth in the conference. The game-tying goal came on a penalty kick from Letienne for the senior's first score of the year. He is the ninth different LCU player to score this season. Overall, LCU's offense is averaging 1.14 goals per game, which ranks eighth in the Lone Star Conference. They average 13.6 shots per game and have put 38.9 percent of those shots on goal.
 
SHOOTING STARS
Despite their lack of major offensive success this season, LCU has been one of the best teams at creating offensive chances, taking 190 shots overall, which is the second-most in the conference. Their season-high in shots was 28 against Adams State on Sept. 6. Of the total, 74 have been on goal, which is also the second-most in the LSC. They had a season-high 12 of those on Oct. 8 against TAMIU. Nunez ranks second in the Lone Star Conference in shots with 38 and has put 19 of those on goal.
 
 
LOOKING AT THE LONE STAR
The Chaps have just three games left in the regular season, which will wrap up next week with games against Midwestern State and Sul Ross, so every game left on the schedule has major implications for the LSC Tournament seeding. If the season was over today, LCU would be the No. 1 seed in the league's tourney, even though they currently stand in second. UT Dallas, the team with the most overall points, is not eligible for postseason play because they are in their final year of transition from Division III. The Chaps are currently in second with 14 points, just ahead of St. Edward's with 13 points. The top six teams by points at the end of the regular season will make the postseason tournament.
 
IN THEIR DEFENSE
Lubbock Christian notched its fifth shutout of the season last Saturday in the win against Oklahoma Christian, matching their season total from 2024. The last time an LCU team had more than five shutouts in a season was 2023, when they had seven. Lubbock Christian is allowing just 0.93 goals per game so far this year, which is the second-best mark in the league. Chap opponents are averaging just 12.3 shots per game and have put only 64 on goal for a shots on goal percentage of .372. If the season ended today, LCU's goals against average of 0.93 would be the lowest for the team in the last 10 years, which is as far back as data is available.
 
HE'S A KEEPER
A key component to the success of the defense has been LCU's goalkeeper, Connor Pettigrew, who has played every minute of every match so far this season. He was forced to make just one save in Wednesday's win, but in last Saturday's shutout, which was the 12th of his collegiate career, the Frisco, Texas, native made six saves, all in the second half, tying his season high. Pettigrew's 50 saves on the year are the most by an LSC goalkeeper and he has a save percentage of .794, having played in all 1260 minutes of LCU soccer action this season. He has played 37 games in his four-year LCU career, posting a career record of 13-14-8.
 
FRIENDLY CONFINES
Lubbock Christian is 2-3-1 at home so far this season after going 2-3-3 at the LCU Soccer & Track Complex in 2024. Including the DBU contest, there are just two more home games this season. They have not posted more wins than losses in Lubbock since the 2022 campaign, when they were 4-2-3. The LCU Soccer & Track Complex was completed in August of 2020 and features an AstroTurf playing surface, a Musco lighting system to allow for night games and stadium seating for 500 fans. LCU's men have an all-time record of 59-41-21 in home games. The best season at home was just their second in existence, as they went 8-1-1 in 2011.
 
FRESH FACES
If you haven't seen the LCU men in action yet this season, you might not recognized a lot of the faces on the field. In both transfers and high school recruits,  Lubbock Christian added 19 new players. Seven of the players are transfers from other schools and 11 are fresh out of high school. Three players transferred from Division I schools and made a significant impact this season, including Joao Catafesta (New Hampshire), Pedro Lucas (Albany) and Augusto Militao (Missouri-Kansas City).
 
SCOUTING THE PATRIOTS

• DBU is currently in seventh in the LSC standings with eight points, but would make the league tournament as the six seed if the season ended today
• The Patriots are averaging 1.08 goals per game on the year, which is the third-lowest mark in the LSC
• Head coach Jess Jobe is in his fifth season leading the Patriot program, leading them to three straight LSC tournament appearances
• Caleb Centeno leads the team in points with 13, having scored five goals and assisted three others
• The Patriots have used four different goalkeepers, with Patrick Banich getting the majority of the minutes

 
A WIN ON SATURDAY WOULD
- Be the 125^th  in Lubbock Christian program history (124-106-41)
- Be the 24^th under head coach Collin Cone (23-24-9)
- Be the Chaps' 9^th win against the Patriots since the all-time series began in 2013 (8-3-3)