West Texas A&M (6-6-2, 3-6-1) vs. UT Dallas (10-2-2, 7-2-1)
Date	Saturday, October 25th | 1:00 p.m.
Location	Canyon, Texas | The Pitch
Live Statistics	Link
Live Video	FloCollege (Pay-Per-View)

CANYON, Texas – The Lady Buffs of West Texas A&M return to The Pitch on Saturday afternoon as they welcome the Comets of UT Dallas for Lone Star Conference action with kickoff set for 1:00 p.m. in Canyon on Senior Day.
 
TEXAS A&M INTERNATIONAL REWIND
The Lady Buffs picked up their second straight Lone Star Conference victory on Wednesday night as they registered a 2-1 win over the Dustdevils of Texas A&M International in Laredo, Texas. Sarah Hernandez Lopez capitalized on a corner kick from Michelle Velasco, scoring in the fifth minute to give WT the early lead followed by a Lawrencia Yeboah goal in the 52^nd minute as Franciezca Blancaflor registered four saves in the win.
 
A LOOK AT THE COMETS
The Comets enter the weekend with an overall record of 10-2-2 with a 7-2-1 mark in LSC action. UT Dallas claimed a 1-0 victory over Oklahoma Christian on Wednesday night as Chelsea Vilca provided the game-winning goal in the 59^th minute for the shutout win.
 
Gabby Thompson leads the way offensively for the Comets as the junior from Whitehouse, Texas has scored nine goals to go along with five assists for a team-leading 23 points on the year. Thompson has registered 36 shots with 21 of them coming on goal to go along with three game-winners.
 
UTD HEAD COACH STEPHEN SHIRLEY
Stephen Shirley was named the head women's soccer coach at UT Dallas in January 2023. In two seasons, the Comets have compiled an 17-9-8 record under Shirley. In his first season, UTD went 9-2-7 overall and 2-1-5 in the American Southwest Conference, placing fourth. Shirley's 2023 squad started the season 9-0-6, including eight consecutive shutouts, breaking the school record for longest unbeaten streak at 15 games. They followed with an 8-7-1 mark and five shutouts while transitioning to NCAA Division II in 2024. He has coached two United Soccer Coaches All-Region selections and eight all-conference picks along with the ASC Goalkeeper of the Year.
 
THE SERIES
Saturday afternoon will mark the first ever meeting on the pitch between the Lady Buffs and Comets. UT Dallas is in their first season of transitioning to NCAA Division II. 
 
WT HEAD COACH TURK OZTURK
Bulut "Turk" Ozturk was named the third head coach in the history of the Lady Buff Soccer program on December 19, 2024. Ozturk brings an impressive nine-season track record of collegiate coaching experience to WT.
 
Ozturk was most recently on the coaching staff at Iowa State University for the 2024 season as the Soccer Development Coordinator. In this role, he was involved in all aspects of assisting a power four program that competes in the Big XII conference. Some of coach Turk's major duties included: Game Day coaching, video analysis for team members, scouting reports, recruiting, travel coordination and leading training sessions for the team.
 
Before Iowa State, Ozturk served as the Head Coach at Michigan Tech University for four seasons. During his tenure, he led the Huskies to their first NCAA tournament appearance in nearly a decade in 2023. Under his guidance, Michigan Tech achieved remarkable success with 17 players earning GLIAC All-Conference Awards, one All-American, over 60 players named to the All-Academic Excellence Team, and eight to the All-Academic Team.
 
LSC PRESEASON POLL
The Lady Buffs were selected 10th in the Lone Star Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll announced on August 27th. 
 
Dallas Baptist claimed 29 of the possible 45 first place votes for a total of 650 points to sit atop of the poll followed by Angelo State (13 first place, 634), Texas Woman's (one first place, 556), Midwestern State (511), St. Mary's (468), St. Edward's (435), Lubbock Christian (392), Oklahoma Christian (358), UT Tyler (347), West Texas A&M (284), Texas A&M International (one first place, 244), UT Dallas (168), UT Permian Basin (146), Eastern New Mexico (124) and Sul Ross State (one first place, 83).
 
Annie Rocha of St. Edward's was tabbed the league's Preseason Offensive Player of the Year. DBU senior Parker Coe was named the Defensive Player of the Year while Amanda Farris of TWU claimed Goalkeeper of the Year accolades.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
Wednesday night's contest will be broadcasted on FloCollege. The LSC and FloSports reached a historic agreement in August of 2024 for the largest streaming rights deal in NCAA Division II history. Fans have two different subscription options: $19.99 per month or $107.88 per year ($8.99/month). Additionally, those who use an .edu email address from an LSC member institution will be able to sign up at a discounted subscription price of $9.99 per month or $71.88 per year ($5.99/month).