GAME NOTES
CANYON, Texas – The Lady Buffs of West Texas A&M open Lone Star Conference play on Wednesday, Feb. 24, on the road against DBU. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m.
A LOOK AT THE LADY BUFFS
The Lady Buffs return to the pitch for the first time in 19 days after hosting Abilene Christian on Feb. 5 in Canyon. They were scheduled to play Lubbock Christian and Midwestern State but both games were moved due to weather in the Texas Panhandle.
Hannah Kelley-Lusk had four of the Lady Buffs eight shots in their overtime loss to ACU. The senior, who was voted as the league's preseason offensive player of the year, put three of those shots on-target.
Jessica Diaz also contributed three shots out of the midfield.
Maliyah Mendoza,
Mandy Stricker,
Cheyenne Orozco and
Reagan Matacale started as the back four holding the Wildcats to 14 shots, six of those on-goal. Matacale and Mendoza also provided an attacking option down the wings with the freshman nearly earning a penalty for the Lady Buffs in the second half.
Emily Avila was limited to 45 minutes in the opener and will look to have more an impact on Wednesday.
A LOOK AT DBU
DBU enters LSC play at 1-0-0 following an impressive 6-0 victory over Harding on Feb. 6 in Dallas.
The Patriots were picked to win the league after picking up 27 of the 29 first-place votes. Gabrielle Heller was also named the Co-Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
Ashley Merrill was named the United Soccer Coaches National Player of the Week after scoring a hat trick against Harding. The Frisco native needed just over a minute to open here collegiate scoring account before adding goals in the 38th and 56th minute. She also had an assist on Kaleigh Nazier's goal right before halftime.
Delaney Schmidt added two assists for the Patriots in the win with four shots, two of those on-target. She is joined up front by senior Kaci Parks and sophomore Jenna Patterson.
Adrianna Schroeder got the start in goal for the Patriots and was forced into a save. The junior joined DBU from Rose State College where she went 21-4-3. She was also named the NJCAA National Player of the Week twice.
THE SERIES
Wednesday will be the 11th all-time meeting between the two programs. The Lady Buffs are 3-6-1 against the Patriots and have not won in Dallas since their first meeting on Oct. 15, 2001.
The two teams met in the 2018 NCAA Division II South Central Regional Final in Canyon. After a scoreless draw, WT won 5-4 on penalty kicks with
Marlene van Mourik converting the final PK.
ATTACKING THE RECORD BOOK
With 92 minutes in the season opener against ACU, Orozco has now played in 5,820 minutes during her career. The Albuquerque, N.M. native is on pace to become the fourth Lady Buff in program history to eclipse 6,000 career minutes against UT Tyler joining Lindsay McHorse,
Khadidra Debesette and
Mackenzie Taylor.
With her next goal,
Hannah Kelley-Lusk will pass former teammate
Khaline Jacob into 10th in career scoring. The senior has scored 22 goals and 12 assists for a total of 56 points in 44 games. The Farmington, N.M. native also ranks third in game winners and fifth in shots.
SOME NEW FACES MAKING AN IMMEDIATE IMPACT
Two freshman and two junior transfers made their first career starts for WT in the season opener against ACU. Stricker and Matacale both started on the back line in front of Heelan.
Asha James played in a more attacking role playing alongside Kelley-Lusk and Cordero.
Vanessa Aragon was the lone newcomer to come off the bench for the Lady Buffs as she came into the game for overtime.
A LOOK AROUND THE LONE STAR CONFERENCE
As of Tuesday, Feb. 23, only five schools from the LSC have played a countable game as Lubbock Christian's overtime loss to ACU was an exhibition.
LIVE COVERAGE
Wednesday's match will be broadcast on the LSC Digital Network. Live stats will also be provided by the DBU Sports Information Department and can be found at GoBuffsGo.com.
UP NEXT
The Lady Buffs return to the friendly confines of The Pitch to host UT Tyler on Wednesday, March 3. WT defeated the Patriots 2-0 in their last meeting on Oct. 5, 2019.
