Lobos Visit Lubbock Again – Lubbock Christian University Athletics

By: Everett Corder (everett.corder@lcu.edu)

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LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (6-9-1, 3-5-0) at
SUL ROSS STATE (0-15-0, 0-9-0)
Wednesday , October 28 – 7  p.m.

LCU Soccer & Track Complex – Lubbock, Texas
 
CHAPARRAL HEADERS

Lubbock Christian University will wrap of the regular season at 7 p.m. on Wednesday at the LCU Soccer & Track Complex, hosting Sul Ross for the second time this season
LCU senior forward Augusto Militao scored his sixth goal of the season in the game against Midwestern State, which is tied for the fifth-most in the conference
Sul Ross has not won a game all season and their only two goals scored on the year came in a 3-2 loss against Texas A&M International on Oct. 3
The Chaps beat Sul Ross 4-0 in a non-conference matchup earlier this season, also in Lubbock, on the strength of a multi-goal game from Aron DePaula
Joao Catafesta played the full 90 minutes for the seventh different time this season against MSU and the fifth time in the last six  games

 
PLAYOFF PICTURE

Lubbock Christian faces a do or die situation in their last game of the regular season, needing a win and some help to get into the Lone Star Conference Tournament. If the Chaps win, they will also either need DBU to lose to Texas A&M International and St. Edward’s either win or tie against West Texas A&M. If DBU earns a draw, they need SEU and WT to also draw to get in. Midwestern State and St. Mary’s are also meeting, with MSU needing at least a draw to claim the conference title outright. If St. Mary’s wins, the two teams would tie in points with 23, and StMU would be the one seed for the league’s postseason tournament due to the head-to-head tiebreaker.
 
DEFENDING HOME TURF

After back-to-back road games, the Chaparrals return to the friendly confines to close out the season, where they have been much better in 2026. All five Chaparral wins this season have come at the friendly confines, with a 6-2-1 record on their home field. The wins have come against Adams State, Newman and Sul Ross, St. Edward’s, UT Tyler and West Texas A&M. This is the first time they have 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 66-42-22 in home games. The best season at home was just their second in existence, as they went 8-1-1 in 2011.
 
 
OFFENSIVE OUTPUT
Augusto Militao’s goal against No. 5 Midwestern State last week was the 21st of the season by the Chaps. They are averaging a 1.31 per contest, which is eighth in the conference. Those goals have been scored by eight different players, led by Augusto Militao, who now has six after scoring three in the last two games. Militao is currently tied for fifth in the conference with 14 total points. Alex Lachevre is second on the team with four goals this season. Another three Chaps have scored at least twice. The Chaps are averaging 12.6 shots per game and putting 42.8 percent of those on frame. Freshman Oliver Robinson ranks seventh in the league with 37 shots.
 
KEEPING UP WITH THE CHAPS
Lubbock Christian junior goalkeeper Milo Paci made six saves in the loss against the Mustangs, bringing his season total to 64. He ranks second in the LSC in that category. Paci has faced 199 shots overall this season in more than 1200 minutes in goal. He has a 1.42 goals against average and a .757 save percentage. In the Oct. 7 game against UT Dallas, Paci made a career-high 12 saves, which was the most by a Chap in a single game since 2019. Junior Arath Valdez filled in while Paci was injured, making 14 saves in 135 minutes of action.
 
LAST TIME THESE TEAMS MET

The Chaparrals and Lobos met one already this season, matching up at the LCU Soccer & Track Complex for a non-conference game on Sept. 19. LCU earned their second shutout of the season in the game, winning 4-0. They took the lead just before halftime when Aron DePaula converted a penalty kick and followed up with three second-half goals. RJ Rodriguez scored once, DePaula scored again, and the other goal was netted by a Sul Ross defender. The Lobos tallied just eight shots, two of which were on goal and saved by Paci.
 
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
Lubbock Christian lost a lot from their 2025 LSC runner-up team, which means the 2026 edition of the Chaps have been relying on a number of newcomers. Of the five LCU players who have started all eight games so far this year, three – goalkeepers Milo Paci and Arath Valdez, defender Max Moorahrend and midfielder Alex Lachevre – are brand new to LCU. The Chaparral leader in shots with 20 – forward Oli Robinson – is also new, and the Chaps have also relied heavily on newcomers Finn Wijnen, Tom Unwin and Jackson Preece.
 
SCOUTING THE LOBOS

Four different players have seen time in goal for SRSU, led by Fernando Hernandez, who has 72 saves in 791 minutes of action
The last time the Lobos won was Oct. 11, 2025, when they defeated Texas A&M International 2-0
The only two goals scored by the Lobos this season came from Yannick Hategekimana and Cameron Rothgeb
Gerry Cleary is in his first season leading the Lobos after previously coaching at Fort Hays State from 2019-23
Freshman defender Mohammed Aljishi leads the team in minutes played with 1256

 
A WIN ON WEDNESDAY WOULD:
• Be the 135th in Lubbock Christian program history (134-118-42)
• Be the 34th under head coach Collin Cone (33-35-21)
• Be the Chaps’ second-ever win against Sul Ross since the all-time series began in 2024 (1-2-0)