LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (1-4-1) vs.
SUL ROSS STATE (2-2-0)
Thursday, Sept. 25 – 7 p.m.
LCU Soccer & Track Complex – Lubbock, Texas
 
CHAPARRAL HEADERS

• After a week in the Sunflower State, Lubbock Christian returns home for a non-conference matchup with Sul Ross State at 7 p.m. on Thursday
• The Chaps and Lobos have two common opponents, Adams State and UT Dallas. SRSU tied UTD and beat Adams State 8-0. LCU lost to UTD and beat Adams State 5-0
• Senior defender and team captain Geoffroy Letienne leads the team in time on the field with 517 minutes played. He also led the team in 2024 with 1452 minutes
• Connor Pettigrew played all 540 minutes in goal so far this season, earning a shutout against the Jets opening weekend, which was the 10th of his career
• This is the final non-conference game of the season for the Chaps, who will begin LSC play on Oct. 1 at St. Mary's

 
AWARD CENTRAL
Lubbock Christian goalkeeper Connor Pettigrew was named the Lone Star Conference Goalkeeper of the Week, the league announced on Monday. Pettigrew had a shutout against Newman, allowed just one goal on the road against No. 20 Fort Hays State and totaled seven saves over both matches. He stopped four shots against Fort Hays State. He becomes the second Chap to win a weekly award from the league this season, joining Pedro Lucas, who was named the Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 8.
 
HE'S A KEEPER
For the season, the Pettigrew has a goals against average of exactly 1.00, which is the fifth-best in the Lone Star Conference. He had made 16 saves on 71 shots faced with only six goals allowed. He has a save percentage of .727 and the shutout of Newman was his second of the season. In his fourth season with the Chaps, the Frisco native has an all-time record of 9-12-6 in 29 games played. He started all 17 games in goal last season and has been in net for all 540 minutes of game action so far this season.
 
OFFENSIVE OUTPUT
Through the first six games of the year, Lubbock Christian is averaging exactly 1.0 goals per game. Their 73 total shots this season are the fifth most in the conference, and they have put 35.6 percent of those (26) on goal. Pedro Lucas lead the team in points with seven, having scored three goals and assisted one other. That number is tied for fourth in the LSC. Meanwhile Manu Nunez is leading the team in shots with 12 and is tied with Lucas for the team lead in shots on goal with six. Five other Chaparrals have at least two shots on goal this season. Besides Lucas, LCU has gotten goals from Francisco Horta, Ty Gibbs and Kade McKinzie.
 
IN THEIR DEFENSE
The Chaps allowed just one goal in their two games played last week, notching their second shutout of the season (against Newman) and lowering their goals against average to exactly 1.00. That mark ranks fourth in the Lone Star Conference. LCU opponents have been limited to 71 shots and are putting only 32.4 percent of those on frame through the first six games. Senior captain Geoffroy Letienne anchors the back line with a team-leading 517 minutes played.
 
LOOKING AT THE LONE STAR
With teams in the final week of non-conference action before beginning league play next week, DBU holds the best record at 3-1-1. The only loss the Patriots have suffered came in their season-opener at UT Tyler. Texas A&M International has not lost a game yet this season, but tied four times in six games. The only LSC team currently recognized in the United Soccer Coaches Top-15 is St. Mary's at No. 25, despite the Rattlers' overall record of 1-1-3.
 
FRIENDLY CONFINES
Lubbock Christian suffered losses in each of their first two home games of the season after going 2-3-3 at the LCU Soccer & Track Complex in 2024. Including the Sul Ross contest, there are six 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 59-40-20 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, including Joao Catafesta (New Hampshire), Pedro Lucas (Albany) and Augusto Militao (Missouri-Kansas City).\
 
SCOUTING THE LOBOS

• Eight of SRSU's 14 total goals scored this season came in one game – against Adams State on Sept. 12
• The Chaps and Lobos will meet again to close out the regular season in a game that will count toward the LSC standings
• Sophomore midfielder Diego Hernandez is tied for the Lone Star Conference lead in assists with five. Three of those came in the game against Adams State
• Head coach Bailey Guffin is in his third year leading the Lobo program and has an all-time record of 9-21-9
• SRSU has split playing time between a pair of goalkeepers, with Benjamin Aviles getting the majority of the time in goal

 
A WIN ON THURSDAY WOULD

• Be the 122nd in Lubbock Christian program history (121-104-39)
• Be the 20th under head coach Collin Cone (19-23-7)
• Be the Chaps' first-ever win against Sul Ross since the all-time series began last season (0-1-0)