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LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (3-5-3) at
UT DALLAS (6-3-2)
Wednesday, Oct. 15 – 7 p.m.
UTD Soccer Complex – Richardson, Texas
CHAPARRAL HEADERS
Lubbock Christian remained unbeaten in LSC play with a tie at UT Tyler Saturday and now faces a tough test at UT Dallas at 7 p.m. on Wednesday
Senior forward Manu Nunez ranks third in the Lone Star Conference in shots with 18 and has put 16 of those on goal but is still looking for his first score
Senior defender and team captain Geoffroy Letienne leads the team in time on the field with 967 minutes played. He also led the team in 2024 with 1452 minutes
Connor Pettigrew notched his fourth shutout of the season on Wednesday, which was also the 11th of his career. He is now 11-13-7 in goal in college
The Chaps and Comets faced off earlier this season in non-conference play, with UTD coming away with a 2-0 win in Lubbock
OFFENSIVE OUTPUT
Lubbock Christian netted a pair of goals in Saturday’s draw with UT Tyler, with both Agusto Militao and Francisco Horta finding the back of the net. The opening goal from Militao was the senior’s first of the 2025 season, making him the seventh different LCU player with a goal this year. Horta’s goal was his second of the year, making him the fourth different Chap with multiple goals. Overall, LCU’s offense is averaging 1.09 goals per game, which ranks seventh in the Lone Star Conference. They average 14.2 shots per game and have put 39.7 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 156 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, 62 have been on goal, which is the second-most in the LSC. They had a season-high 12 of those last Wednesday against TAMIU. Nunez and Pedro Lucas rank fourth and fifth in the conference in shots per game with 2.55 and 2.50, respectively.
IN THEIR DEFENSE
Lubbock Christian has earned shutouts in two of its last four games and four times overall this season. In all of 2024, they had just five shutouts. LCU is now allowing an average of just 1.00 goals per game, which is tied for the second-best mark in the conference, behind only Sul Ross (.90). Chap opponents are averaging just 12.2 shots per game and have put only 51 on goal for a shots on goal percentage of .381. Senior captain Geoffroy Letienne anchors the back line with a team-leading 967 minutes played.
LOOKING AT THE LONE STAR
Wednesday’s contest will mark the exact midway point of Lone Star Conference play as the fifth game in a ten-game league schedule. Preseason favorite Midwestern State currently leads the pack as the only team with three wins, but also one loss on their ledger. Lubbock Christian, Sul ross and UT Dallas all remain unbeaten, although LCU has played one more league contest and has one more tie, putting them in second at the moment. SRSU and UTD are tied with West Texas A&M and St. Edward’s, with all four currently having seven points. Those are the six teams that would advance to the LSC Tournament if the season ended today.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
LCU is 2-2-2 in road games at the midway point of the season with wins at Adams State and St. Edward’s . In 2024, the Chaps went 3-3-2 in road games. 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. UTD has a soccer complex of 10 fields, including their competition field which features a natural grass playing surface. The Comets are 180-40-23 there all-time, including a 4-0-1 record this season.
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).
LAST TIME THESE TEAMS MET
Lubbock Christian suffered a 2-0 loss to UT Dallas in nonconference play on Sept. 13. The game, which was played in Lubbock, featured goals in each half for the Comets, who sat back on defense and kept the Chaps without a single shot on goal. Callum Thompson and Luke Harris had the scores for UTD.
SCOUTING THE COMETS
UT Dallas is in its first season competing in the Lone Star Conference, transition from the D-III level
The Comets have spread around their offense, getting goals from nine different people, including a team-leading three apiece from Avery Brazzell and Carson Burden
UTD has not lost in its last four matches, going 2-0-2 in that time. Their last loss was on Sept. 25, at Oklahoma Christian (3-1)
Ryder Claborn has handled the majority of the goalkeeping duties for the Comets, making 18 saves with a goals against average of 0.43
Jason Hirsch leads the UTD men’s soccer program and is in his 12th season with the team. He is a three-time American Southwest Conference Coach of the Year
A WIN ON WEDNESDAY WOULD
– Be the 123rd in Lubbock Christian program history (122-105-41)
– Be the 21st under head coach Collin Cone (20-24-9)
– Be Cone’s 50th win as a collegiate head coach (49-55-25)
– Be the Chaps’ first-ever win against UT Dallas since the all-time series began earlier this year (0-1-0)