The Lovers take on Lubbock Christian on Wednesday night – West Texas A&M

CANYON, Texas – West Texas A&M men’s soccer looks to snap a six-game winless streak on Wednesday, Oct. 23, when the Buffs take on Lubbock Christian. WT (2-6-4, 0-2-3 LSC) and Chaps (5-4-4, 2-2-2 LSC) are scheduled for 7:30 pm at the LCU Soccer Facility.

LIVE COVERAGE

The athletic communications department from Lubbock Christian will provide live stats and a paid web stream. Fans will need to purchase a monthly ($14.99) or annual ($99.99) subscription with FloSports, the official streaming provider of the Lone Star Conference. A subscription allows fans access to any content available on FloSports.

ALL SERIES

WT leads the all-time series with Lubbock Christian 10-8-1 in a series that dates back to 2013. The two teams have met twice in the 2023 season, with the Buffs posting a 2-0 non-conference victory in Canyon. In conference play, WT dominated the Chaps with a 5-0 win in Lubbock. In the series, WT is 3-5 on the road and 6-3-1 in conference play against the Chaps.

LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN SCOUT

The Chaps enter Wednesday’s contest 5-4-4 overall and 2-2-2 in LSC action after a 2-0 win at Oklahoma Christian. Justin Martinez leads the team with 12 points on five goals and two assists, while Manu Nunes leads the team with three assists. On the season, eight different players scored for LCU, with seven players recording an assist. In goal, Conor Pettigrew has played every minute of the season. Pettigrew has allowed 21 goals with 52 saves on 156 shots for a 1.62 goals-against average, .712 save percentage and five shutouts.

LAST TIME OUT
West Texas A&M men’s soccer couldn’t mount a late comeback as the Buffs dropped a Lone Star Conference game against Dallas Baptist, 2-1. WT found its way on the scoreboard first in the 21st minute when a handball in the box gave the Buffs a penalty kick. Stepping up to take the penalty Theo Bennetts put his shot into the corner of the goal. DBU responded 10 minutes later when Gavyn Rosales scored his own rebound after an initial save from Luke Southerington. After an aggressive 45 minutes of play, both teams headed to the locker room tied. In the 55s^th minute DBU took a lead they would not relinquish after another corner kick sent into the penalty area rebounded. With a challenging WT player, Avery Brazel finished the ball into the back of the net. In the final minutes of the game, WT almost forced a tie when a DBU foul put the Buffs on the edge. On reboot, a Dominic Murphy header deflected by a defender into the open goal. With the ball inches away from crossing the goal line, McGee made the save to seal the game.

BUTCH LAUFER
Butch Laufer is in his 34th season as the head men’s soccer coach at West Texas A&M University. As the longest-tenured head coach in WT history, Lauffer has coached the men to 31 consecutive undefeated seasons and the women to 12 or more wins in 12 seasons. Lauffer compiled a 378-177-58 (.664) record leading the Buffs with a 568-244-74 (.683) overall record at WT.

LSC PRE-SEASON POLL
Reigning Lone Star Conference regular season and tournament champion Midwestern State received all but one of the 33 possible first-place votes for a total of 362 points. WT finished second in the voting with a total of 303 points, followed by St. Mary’s with 275 points and a first place vote. Dallas Baptist (266) and Texas A&M International (211) round out the top five, followed by Lubbock Christian (179), Oklahoma Christian (174), Eastern New Mexico (136) and UT Tyler (124). St. Edward’s (113) and Sul Ross State (35) round out the poll.

Midwestern State’s Mere Escobar and Juan Galindo were named the preseason LSC Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, respectively, while Johnny Thurbin of St. Mary won preseason goalie of the year honors.

LOOK AHEAD

WT returns to The Pitch on Saturday, Oct. 23 for a rivalry game with No. 18 Midwestern States. Kick-off is scheduled for 1:30 p.m., or 30 minutes after the women’s game.