LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (6-6-3) at
MIDWESTERN STATE (9-3-3)
Wednesday, Oct. 25 – 7 p.m.
LCU Soccer & Track Complex – Lubbock, Texas
 
CHAPARRAL HEADERS

• Riding a three-game win streak, Lubbock Christian will host its final home match of the regulars season, taking on a nationally-ranked Midwestern State team Wednesday
• Senior forward Manu Nunez ranks second in the Lone Star Conference in shots with 43 and has put 21 of those on goal while leading the Chaps with four assists
• Senior defender and team captain Geoffroy Letienne leads the team in time on the field with 1347 minutes played. He also led the team in 2024 with 1452 minutes
• Connor Pettigrew made four saves, including three in the final 20 minutes of the win against DBU and now has 54 on the year, which leads the LSC
• Midwestern State leads the LSC in scoring this season, averaging 1.93 goals per game

 
AWARD CENTRAL
Lubbock Christian senior Francisco Horta Jaramillo was named the Lone Star Conference Offensive Player of the Week, the league announced on Monday. scored the game-winning goals against both West Texas A&M and DBU – both 2-1 victories. On the road against WT, Horta scored the go-ahead goal in the 63rd minute. At home against DBU, he found the back of the net in the 81st minute. This is the fourth conference weekly honor awarded to a Lubbock Christian player this season. Previous honorees include Pedro Lucas, Connor Pettigrew and Geoffroy Letienne.
 
OFFENSIVE OUTPUT
Lubbock Christian has scored multiple goals in three straight games for the first time this season, netting a pair each against Oklahoma Christian, West Texas A&M and DBU. Nine different Chaparrals have scored this season, including Horta, Pedro Lucas, Kade McKinzie and Jack Brassey with multiple goals. Overall, LCU's offense is averaging 1.20 goals per game, which ranks seventh in the Lone Star Conference. They average 13.5 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 203 shots overall, which is the third-most in the conference. Their season-high in shots was 28 against Adams State on Sept. 6. Of the total, 79 have been on goal, which is also the third-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 43 and has put 21 of those on goal.
 
LOOKING AT THE LONE STAR
This is the final week of Lone Star Conference play, although Lubbock Christian has its bye on Saturday. The Chaps currently find themselves in second place with 17 points, just two points ahead of Wednesday's opponent, MSU. The league-leader is UT Dallas with 19 points, and although they can win the conference championship, the Comets are not eligible to play in the postseason as they transition from the Division III level. Therefore, if the season ended today, LCU would play as the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament. The top six teams by points at the end of the regular season, with the top two seeds receiving byes.
 
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 tied for the best mark in the league. Chap opponents are averaging just 12.2 shots per game and have put only 69 on goal for a shots on goal percentage of .377. 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 made four saves on Saturday, three of which came in the final 20 minutes of the game. Pettigrew's 54 saves on the year are the most by an LSC goalkeeper and he has a save percentage of .794, having played in all 1350 minutes of LCU soccer action this season. He has played 38 games in his four-year LCU career, posting a career record of 14-14-8.
 
FRIENDLY CONFINES
Lubbock Christian is 3-3-1 at home so far this season after going 2-3-3 at the LCU Soccer & Track Complex in 2024. This is the final home match of the regular season, but if the Chaps finish in the top four, they will have the chance to host a conference tournament game. 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 60-41-21 in home games. The best season at home was just their second in existence, as they went 8-1-1 in 2011.
 
SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS

• Midwestern State was picked to win the LSC in the preseason poll with 388 points and 16 of the possible 33 first-place votes
• The Mustangs have not lost a game away from home yet this season, going 3-0-2 in true road games and 3-0-0 at neutral sites
• Head Coach Michael Meachum is in his eighth season leading the program and is a two-time LSC Coach of the Year
• Parker Plaxco leads the team with nine goals and also has three assists for a total of 21 points
• Jake Morris and Daniel Robles have split the goalkeeping duties, with Robles posting the slightly better goals against average and save percentage

 
A WIN ON WEDNESDAY WOULD
- Be the 126^th  in Lubbock Christian program history (125-106-41)
- Be the 25^th under head coach Collin Cone (24-24-9)
- Be the Chaps' first-ever win against Midwestern State since the all-time series began in 2014 (0-10-4)