CHAPARRAL HEADERS

• Lubbock Christian is playing its first two road games of the season this weekend, taking on MSU-Denver and UCCS on Friday and Sunday, respectively
• This is the first time since 2023 that the Chaps and Roadrunners have met on the pitch, and that game ended in a 3-3 tie thanks to a late goal from Saimon Gjeci
• The Chaps recorded their first shutout of the year on Saturday against Adams State after their defense recorded shutouts in seven different contests last season
• All three goals scored by Lubbock Christian on the opening weekend of the season came from different players, as Lucas Carli, Agusto Militao and Joao Catafesta found the back of the net
• The two Chaparral captains for this season are Catafesta and Aron DePaula, and Carlos Kramer, Augusto Militao, and Adam Davison round out the rest of the leadership team

 
SHOT-STOPPERS
Lubbock Christian allowed just one shot total from Adams State in Saturday's 2-0 win on the way to their first shutout of the 2026 season. It was the fewest shots allowed by a Chaparral team in the NCAA era, which dates back to 2015. In 2025, LCU opponents average 13.0 shots per game and a paltry 0.90 goals per game. Their seven shutouts on the season were the most by an LCU team since 2021. Carlos Kramer Silva and Fin Wijnen led the Chap defense on opening weekend, ranking first and second in minutes played on the team.
 
OFFENSIVE OUTPUT
Carli and Militao both had points in each of the first two matches, recording a goal and an assist apiece. The two are in the top 10 in the Lone Star Conference in points. Carli's goal came in the first game of the season after he missed all of the last two seasons due to injury. Militao was already one of LCU's top returning offensive weapons after scoring a pair of goals last year, and his assist against Fort Lewis was his first in a Chap uniform. LCU's third goal of the year came from Joao Catafesta, who scored for the first time at LCU.
 
ROAD JOURNAL
This weekend features the first two of seven total road games Lubbock Christian will play in the 2026 regular season. LCU went 4-4-2 in road games last season with wins at Adams State, St. Edward's (2) and West Texas A&M. The last time they had more wins than losses in road games was the 2023 season, when they were 3-1-4. Their best season on the road was in 2013, when they went 6-2-0. Both the Assembly Athletic Complex and Mountain Lion Stadium where the Chaps will play this weekend feature artificial playing surfaces.
 
CENTENNIAL STATE SUCCESS
LCU has played 18 games in program history in the state of Colorado, going 8-10-0 there all-time. The first-ever Chaparral trip to the Centennial State was a successful one, as they beat Colorado Christian 5-1 behind a hat trick from Mbongeni Ndlovu on Sept. 11, 2015. They also beat Adams State 2-1 on that 2015 trip. In last season's trip to Colorado, the Chaps went 1-1 with a 2-1 loss at Fort Lewis and a 5-0 against Adams State
 
KEEPING UP WITH THE CHAPS
Junior goalkeeper Milo Paci handled the majority of the time in goal through the first two matches, playing 169 minutes. The Frenchman made three total saves against 10 shots faced, allowing a pair of goals and posting a .600 save percentage. He made the one save required of him in the game against Adams State, recording his first shutout in a Chaparral uniform.
 
PRESEASON PREDICITIONS
The Lubbock Christian University men's soccer team was picked to finish fourth in the Lone Star Conference Preseason Poll, which was released on Tuesday. It is LCU's highest ranking in the preseason poll since 2022, when they were also picked fourth. Midfielder Alex Lachevre was named an Offensive Player to Watch, and fellow newcomer Milo Paci was named a Goalkeeper to Watch. One of LCU's 2026 captains, Joao Catafesta, was named a Defensive Player to Watch.
 
SCOUTING THE ROADRUNNERS

• MSUD went winless in their first weekend of the season, losing 3-2 against Western Oregon and earning a 1-1 draw against Northwest Nazarene
• Head coach Nick Kirchhof is in his seventh season leading the Roadrunners to a 44-42-18 overall record in his tenure
• In 2025, MSUD went 10-5-5 with a 7-2-1 record in conference play, earning a share of the RMAC regular season title
• The three Roadrunner goals on opening weekend were scored by three different players, including Markus Beck, Ismael Reyes and Jace Starling
• Junior Dominic Miller handled all of the goalkeeping duties in the first two games, making eight saves on 22 shots faced with a .667 save percentage

 
SCOUTING THE MOUNTAIN LIONS

• The Mountain Lions enter this weekend ranked No. 12 nationally and were picked to win the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference in the league's preseason poll
• UCCS had a dominant opening weekend in Texas, shutting out Sul Ross and St. Mary's by a combined score of 11-0
• Eight different Mountain Lion players have scored already this season, led by Toby Benitez, who has netted three goals and assisted another
• Hugo Sjoberg was the goalkeeper in both shutouts, making seven saves to notch two clean sheets while facing 17 shots
• Head Coach Lewis Wilcox is in his eighth year at UCCS and sixth at the helm of the program, posting a 57-28-19 overall record