CANYON, Texas – For the first time since Sept. 23, the West Texas A&M men's soccer team will be playing at the friendly confines of The Pitch as it battles Lubbock Christian Thursday evening at 7 p.m. The Buffs are coming off a 4-1-1 road trip. Following Thursday's game, the Buffs travel to Eastern New Mexico for a Saturday afternoon matchup.
Fans can access live stats and audio/video streaming links of the game at www.gobuffsgo.com on the men's soccer schedule page. James Hadnot will have play-by-play commentary of the game.
WT is 6-3-1 in Heartland Conference play and leading the West Division of the conference. WT is 8-4-1 on the year, UT Permian Basin sits second in the division with a 5-5 record and a 6-6-1 mark overall. Lubbock Christian is third in the division with a 4-3-2 league mark and a 5-7-2 record for the season.
If the season were to end today, WT would be the No. 3-seed in the conference tournament and host a play-in game against No. 6-seed Texas A&M-International. There is a lot of soccer still to be played. TAMIU beat WT in Canyon earlier this season, 1-0.
Following a heartbreaking 1-0 overtime loss at No. 18 St. Edward's last Thursday, the Buffs concluded the season-long, six-game road trip at Dallas Baptist Saturday, posting a 3-0 win. Against DBU, the Buffs got a pair of first half goals from senior Chris Johnson and junior Julio Vargas in a span of 4:14 with assists from senior Gabe Williams and junior Reece Schattle. Vargas scored his second goal of the game in the second half for the 3-0 lead. WT freshman goalkeeper Alexander Vencel tallied his fourth shutout of the season in the win and dropped his goals against average to 0.91 for the season.
For the season, the Buffs are led by Vargas who has a team-high 17 points on seven goals and three assists, while recording a team-high 42 shots (.167) with 20 on goal (.476) and one game winner. Junior Callum Challinor also has seven goals and two assists for 16 points. He has 33 shots (.212) with 16 on goal (.485) and a team-high three game winners.
As a team, the Buffs have scored 37 goals for a 2.85 goals per game average, while recording 216 shots (.171) and 102 on goal (.472). The team is averaging 16.6 shots per game and has 23 assists for 97 points. WT has 80 corner kicks and is 2-2 in penalty kicks.
WT has scored most of its goals in the second half this season, outscoring the opposition 27-6 in the second half, while outscoring the opponents 10-5 in the first half. A total of 124 shots of the 216 have come in the second half as well, while WT leads 45-24 in corner kicks in the second stanza.
The opposition this season is 13 of 113 in shots (.115) and is averages 1.00 goals per game, while shooting .487 on goal on 55 of 113. The opponents are averaging 8.7 shots per game and have eight assists on the season, with 52 corner kicks.
In goal, Vencel leads the way playing and starting all 13 games, while logging 1186:03 minutes, allowing 12 goals (0.91 GAA), with 41 saves (.774) and an 8-4-1 record. Vencel has four shutouts and has faced 109 shots. Senior Casey Tilly has seen action in one game for 22:07 minutes, allowing one goal and faced on shot. As a team, WT has a 0.97 goals against average with 42 saves on 110 shots.
Nationally speaking, the Buffs are 23rd nationally and first in the Heartland Conference in corner kicks per game at 6.15, while ranking 12th nationally and first in the league in points per game at 7.46. The Buffs are eighth in scoring offense at 2.85 goals per game, while ranking 20th in shots per game at 16.20 and 23rd in shots on goal per game, at a 7.85 clip. WT is ninth in total goals with 37 and 10th in total points with 97.
Individually, Challinor is third in the conference in game winners with three, while Vargas and Challinor fifth in the league in goals and Vargas is fifth in total points with 17. Vencel is fourth in the league in shutouts with four and fifth in goals against average at 0.91.
Lubbock Christian enters after a 4-1 win over St. Mary's, snapping a three game skid (0-1-2). LCU is led by Corey Hutchison, who leads the team with four goals, two assists and 10 points. He has a team-high 24 shots (.167) with 12 on goal (.500) and one game winner. Abdou Joof and Luis Callaghan each have eight points on three goals and two assists, while Joof leads the team with two game winners. \
The Chaps have scored 14 goals with 12 assists for 40 points, with 141 shots (.099) and 63 on goal (.447), along with five game winners in 14 games.
In goal, the Chaps are led by Parker O'Quinn who has logged 1038:52 minutes, allowing 11 goals (0.95 GAA), with 52 saves (.825) and a 5-4-2 record, while recording three shutouts. Diego Goiabeira has looged 270 minutes in three games, allowing five goals, with six saves and a 0-3 record. O'Quinn ranks 23rd nationally in save percentage and third in the league (.825), while ranking second in the league in saves per game (4.73) and second in total saves (52).
WT leads the all-time series with LCU 4-2, including a 2-1 win in Lubbock on Sept. 28, starting the six-game road trip. WT is 2-1 against the Chaps in Canyon.
In that game earlier this season, WT junior Troy Reeves scored the quickest goal of the season for the Buffs, just 91 seconds into the match. The score remained the same until Challinor added the insurance goal in the 77th minute. WT was close to a clean sheet, but LCU's Mohammed Busaidy scored his first goal of the season at the 88:32 mark. Vencel had two saves in the game, while O'Quinn had seven as WT outshot LCU 19-9 and 9-4 in corner kicks.
WT head coach Butch Lauffer is in his 27th year of coaching at the helm of the men's program. He is 312-144-34 as the coach of the men's program and 502-211-51 overall as he coached the women's team for 14 years from 1996-2009. Lauffer won his 500th career game earlier this season in a 13-2 victory at UT Permian Basin.
Following the LCU match, WT travels to Eastern New Mexico for a Saturday match against the Greyhounds, before returning home next week to host UT Permian Basin and Eastern New Mexico next week for the regular season finale weekend.
ENMU is 3-10-1 overall and 2-8 in league play and is scheduled to host UT Permian Basin Thursday before entertaining the Buffs Saturday. The Greyhounds are coming off a 4-1 loss at St. Edward's on Saturday, after snapping a seven-game losing skid at Dallas Baptist last Thursday.
The Greyhounds are led by Christopher Mesquita, who has four goals, one assist and nine points to lead the team, while four players are tied for second in scoring with five points. Ignacio Dicun leads the team with 24 shots (.083) and 12 on goal (.500). Nicolai Alstrom leads the team with two game winners.
As a team, ENMU has 14 goals and eight assists for 36 points and has 157 shots (.089) with 63 on goal (.401) and has gone 3-4 in penalty kicks. The opposition has scored 35 goals with 28 assists for 98 points, while recording 268 shots (.131) with 116 on goal (.433) and 10 game winners. The opponents are 5-7 in penalty kicks against the Greyhounds.
In goal, Yuri Nascimiento has logged 615:59 minutes in seven starts, allowing 15 goals (2.19 GAA), with 36 saves (.706) and a 2-3-1 record, while Cody Wann has played in five games and started four. He has logged 416:35 minutes, allowing 12 goals (2.59 GAA), with 22 saves (.647) and a 1-4 record with one shutout. Ryan Flores has played and started three games logging 270 minutes, allowing eight goals with 23 saves and is 0-3.
WT leads the all-time series 17-7-3, went 2-1 against the Greyhounds last season, winning in Canyon twice, including a Heartland Conference playoff win, 5-0, and a 2-1 loss in Portales. WT won in Canyon last season 3-0. WT has won four of the last five meetings in the series.
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