GAME NOTES

CANYON, Texas – The No. 25 Lady Buffs of West Texas A&M open Lone Star Conference this weekend at home against Texas Woman's and Texas A&M-Commerce. WT will first host the Pioneers on Friday, Sept. 21, at 7 p.m. followed by a Sunday matinee against the Lions.

TEXAS WOMAN'S
The Pioneers are 3-3-0 on the season after dropping a 1-0 contest to Dallas Baptist in Denton, Texas on Monday night. TWU is led by fifth-year head coach Babak Abouzar who has a record of 37-37-7.

Haley Ward and Riley Sutton have combined to score five of the Pioneers six goals so far this season. Ward has three goals while both of Sutton's goals have been of the game-winning variety. Libby Murphy has a team-high two assists while Keely Chapman and Maddy Harper have one each.

Daniela Marin and Jazmine Maxwell have been seen time in goal. Marin started in the first four games of the season but it has been Maxwell who has played against Oklahoma Baptist and DBU. She has only allowed one goal while making 10 saves.

THE SERIES
The Lady Buffs lead the all-time series 16-5-3 with last win coming in the Lone Star Conference tournament in 2017. WT won six straight from Sept. 2011 to Nov. 2013.

TEXAS A&M-COMMERCE
The Lions enter the week 3-1-0 and have won three straight after dropping their season opener to Metro State. Head coach Neil Piper has compiled a record of 241-128-37 since his hiring in 1998. He has also led the Lions to six different LSC titles, the last coming in in 2016.

The Lions have scored a total of six goals this season, four of those coming from Leslie Campuzano and Sabringa Munguia.  Campuzano has recorded a point in three straight games including a goal in the Lions 2-0 victory over Ouachita Baptist. Munguia scored both of her goals against Dallas Baptist on Sept. 4.

Caitlin Duty has started in goal in all four games this season allowing eight goals with 27 saves for a 77.1% save percentage. After allowing six goals in the season opener against Metro State, the senior has only allowed two goals while making 17 saves.

THE SERIES
Sunday's game will be the 41st meeting between the two schools with WT holding a 23-15-2 advantage. The Lady Buffs won 11 of the 14 games with nine of those coming by shutout.

CONFERENCE OPENERS
WT is 5-2-1 in Lone Star Conference openers under head coach Chad Webb. Friday's game against TWU will mark the third straight season the Lady Buffs have started conference play against the Pioneers. They drew 1-1 last season in Canyon with WT winning 2-1 back in 2016.

DIAZ DOING HER THING
Sophomore Jesscia Diaz has been a driving force for the Lady Buffs in their past two victories with two goals and two assists. In WT's 3-0 victory over Oklahoma Baptist, the Amarillo, Texas product delivered two incredible assists. Not to be outdone, she scored from the penalty spot in the first half against Southern Nazarene before adding another just seconds before the final whistle. 

THE MORE YOU KNOW
Khaline Jacob has been in great form this season scoring six goals in five appearances including two multi-goal performances. With four more goals, she would become the first Lady Buff to score 10 or more goals in a season since 2012 when Leslie Briggs had 19.

The Lady Buffs came in at 25th in the latest United Soccer Coaches Division II poll released on Tuesday marking the first time they have been ranked since 2010. That year they were ranked as high as fourth.

Khadidra Debesette's 4,858 minutes are the eighth most in program history. She is 142 minutes short of becoming the eighth Lady Buff to reach the 5,000 minute plateau and first since Kaitlin Steele in 2016.

Courtney Dippel's 31 career victories are the third-most in program history. With two wins this weekend, the senior would tie Lisha Jungmann (2006-08) for second.

The Lady Buffs have recorded 25 or more shots twice this season including in their previous game against Southern Nazarene. WT finished with a season-high 35 shots against the Crimson Storm, 20 of those coming in the first half.

WT HEAD COACH CHAD WEBB
WT head coach Chad Webb, a two-time LSC Coach of the Year, is now in his ninth season at the helm of the Lady Buffs. He is 80-67-17 overall during his time in Canyon. He has led WT to a pair of NCAA appearances during his tenure.

LIVE COVERAGE
Live stats and webstreaming will be available for both games this week. For more information, visit the Women's Soccer Schedule Page at GoBuffsGo.com

A LOOK AHEAD
The Lady Buffs will get host Eastern New Mexico on Wednesday, Sept. 26, followed by a trip to Wichita Falls, Texas on Friday, Sept. 28, to play MSU Texas.