LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (0-0-0) vs.
FORT LEWIS (0-0-0)
Saturday, August 29 – Noon
LCU Soccer & Track Complex – Lubbock, Texas
 
LADY CHAP HEADERS

• This will be the first time in the history of the Lubbock Christian women's soccer program that they will play matches on back-to-back days of the week
• The Lady Chaps are 10-5-1 in season-openers in program history, including a six-game win streak from 2012-17, but their last win in an opener was in 2022
• Lubbock Christian finished 8-7-3 last season, including a 6-5-2 conference record to make the LSC Tournament for the first time under Alistair Caldwell, earning the No. 7 seed
• The captains for the 2026 Lady Chap team include senior defender Casey Storer, senior forward Claire Jacobsen and senior goalkeeper Emma Wright
• This will be the fifth time in program history that the LCU women's soccer team has played Fort Lewis, with a 1-1-2 all-time record against the Skyhawks

 
DON'T CALL IT A COMEBACK
There are 19 players on the 2026 Lady Chap roster who are returning to the team. That group includes goalkeeper Emma Wright, who started all 18 games last year and posted a 0.99 goals against average. It also includes three players – Casey Storer, Journey Curs and Lauren Rotan – who played more than 1000 minutes in 2025, along with Sydney Smith, who was named to the LSC All-Freshman Team last year. Smith is the top returning goal-scorer. LCU also welcomed back Ceci Madrid, who did not play last year, but was a member of the team in 2023 and 2024.
 
FRESH FACES
The other 11 Lady Chaps are new to the team, made up of four transfers and seven freshmen. Kaslee Roskelley is a Division II transfer from Northwest Nazarene, while Rebekah Nolen, Daniella Orellana and Coral Castaneda all came to LCU after JUCO stints. Six of the freshmen – Dylan Smith, Taylor Hammond, Addyson McElhaney, Brenna Voss, Kendall DeBlanc and Araceli Patterson – hail from the Lone Star State, and Sydney Day comes to Lubbock from Arizona.
 
AT THE HELM
For a third consecutive season, Lubbock Christian is led by head coach Alistair Caldwell. An LCU graduate himself and the goalkeeper for the first-ever Chaparral men's team in 2010. He is 16-14-6 in his first two seasons combined. Prior to taking over at LCU, he coached in the high school ranks in Lubbock. Caldwell is joined on the sideline by assistant coach Houston Fralick, who joined the staff in the spring of 2024 after coaching club soccer in the Lubbock area. Joao Souza is back to coach the goalkeepers, and former Lady Chap Olivia Weider is serving as a graduate assistant for a second consecutive season.
 
PRESEASON PREDICTIONS
The Lone Star Conference announced its 2026 women's soccer preseason poll and players to watch on Wednesday, with Lubbock Christian University picked to finish ninth and Riley Espinoza, Casey Storer and Emma Wright named players to watch. LCU garnered 336 points in the poll overall, just behind the 338 of eight place St. Edward's, but well ahead of West Texas A&M in 10^th. The preseason poll is voted on by LSC head coaches, sports information directors and media members.
 
HINDSIGHT
Lubbock Christian finished the 2025 season with an 8-7-3 record, reaching the LSC Tournament as the No. 7 seed after posting a 6-5-2 league record. They took St. Edward's all the way to PKs in the tournament before the season ended. It was the second-straight season they have finished exactly 8-7-3. The Lady Chaps had the sixth-best defense in the LSC, allowing an average of just 1.00 goals per game. On offense, they averaged 1.56 goals per game, tallying 275 total shots.
 
A LONGER LOOK
The Lady Chap soccer program began in 2010 and has posted an all-time record of 138-106-37. In the NCAA era, which began after three years of competition in the NAIA in 2015, they have gone 89-70-31. Caldwell is just the third coach in the 15 seasons of program history. There have been four seasons of double-digit win totals, including a high water mark of 13 in 2019. Only twice has the team finished below .500.
 
WHERE THE HEART IS
Lubbock Christian went 4-4-1 at the friendly confines last year. Including this weekend's  games, they have nine total home contests this year. 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 women's team has an all-time record of 70-36-24 all-time in home games. They have only posted losing records at home twice in 15 seasons. They did not lose a home game in 2015 (7-0-2) and won a program-high eight home games in 2019 (8-1-1).
 
SCOUTING THE SKYHAWKS

• Last season, FLC posted 14 shutouts, going 11-0-3 in those contests. In the five games where they did allow a goal, they lost every time, including four times by a score of 1-0
• The Skyhawks were picked to finish fourth in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Preseason Poll, with Jenna Salazar and Ann Spence name players to watch
• Fort Lewis returns 50 percent of its goal production from a year ago, led by Salazar who scored eight times in 2025
• FLC head coach Damian Clarke is entering his 15^th season, posting a 157-73-60 record during his time with the program
• Goalkeeper Trinity Lujan is back for another season with the Skyhawks after posting a goals against average of .382 with 12 shutouts in 2025