Game Notes

No. 14 Lady Buffs Wrap Up Road Trip Against Bulldogs
 
CANYON, Texas -- The West Texas A&M University women's soccer team remains in Oklahoma as it wraps up a two-game road trip. The Lady Buffs, 4-0-0 overall, face off against the Bulldogs of Southwestern Oklahoma State at 4 p.m. on Thursday. 
 
All TIME SERIES
WT dominates the all-time series against Southwestern Oklahoma State as the Lady Buffs hold a 17-1-1 advantage. The two teams first met in 1998 as the Lady Buffs walked away with a 9-0 victory. The Bulldogs registered their first win in the series in 2017, but WT returned to its winning ways against SWOSU in 2021.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Lady Buffs dominated the Oklahoma Baptist Bison in Shawnee with a 5-0 final score in Shawnee. WT started the scoring in the third minute as Maliyah Mendoza finished a pass from Maria-Frances Serrant. Serrant wasted no time adding her name to the goal scorers as she curled a ball around the goalkeeper's arm. Asha James pushed the advantage to three in the 17th minute. In the second half, the Lady Buff offense continued to find opportunities to score. James scored her second goal of the night just two minutes into the second period. Serrant added her second shortly after James, giving WT the 5-0 win.
 
SCOUTING SW OKLAHOMA STATE
The Bulldogs enter the contest with a 0-2-1 record and are coming off a 2-1 loss to then No. 8-ranked UC-Colorado Springs. Led in scoring by Ruth Vasquez, SWOSU averages 1.67 goals per game on an average of 8.3 shots. Opposing teams average 2.33 goals per game against the Bulldogs' defense with Ashley Hughes being the primary goalkeeper.
 
NATIONAL STANDINGS
WT jumps into the United Soccer Coaches Division II Top-25 Poll at No. 14 after receiving votes in the preseason poll. The ranking is the highest regular season rank for the Lady Buffs since the final 2018 poll. College of Saint Rose and Dallas Baptist sit tied atop the national standings after starting the season undefeated. Grand Valley State sits at No. 3 with a record of 2-1-1. Embry-Riddle, 4-0-0, jumped to the fourth spot after receiving votes in the preseason poll while Columbus State, 3-1-0, finishes the top five.
 
NATIONAL OUTLOOK
Serrant leads the WT offense with 6.75 shots per game, ranking fourth in Division II, and third with 4.50 shots on goal per game. Teammate Asha James sits tied for 20th and 29th in the same categories. As a team, the Lady Buffs rank inside the top 10 for each of the categories previously mentioned.  
 
A LOOK AHEAD...
The Lady Buffs return The Pitch on Saturday as they host CSU-Pueblo. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. in Canyon.