West Texas A&M (1-0) vs. UT Dallas (0-2)
Date	Thursday, September 11th | 7:00 p.m.
Location	Canyon, Texas | The Pitch
Live Statistics	Link
Live Video	FloCollege (Pay-Per-View)

CANYON, Texas – The Buffaloes of West Texas A&M open their home schedule on Thursday night as they welcome the UT Dallas Comets to The Pitch inside of the Buffalo Sports Complex for a 7:00 p.m. kickoff in Canyon.
 
NEWMAN RECAP
The Buffs opened the season last Thursday afternoon in Wichita, Kansas with a 1-0 victory over the Neman Jets. WT got on the scoreboard at the 51:29 mark as Venancio Calderon fired a shot from 18-yards out that found the lower left-hand side of the net for the game winner. Zach Kos was stellar in the net for the Buffs, registering six saves in his complete game shutout.
 
A LOOK AT THE COMETS
UT Dallas enters the week with an 0-2 overall record following shutout losses to Westminster (2-0) and Colorado Mesa (5-0) last weekend in Grand Junction. UTD will face off with the Buffs on Thursday night before traveling to Lubbock on Saturday to take on Lubbock Christian in non-conference action.
 
Key players returning to the Comets roster include four starters: junior defender Julio De Los Reyes, sophomore midfielder Gabriel Sasso, senior forward/midfielder Hamza Syed, and junior midfielder Jason Torres. Carson Burden and Jacob Culpepper, who each netted five goals last season, also return to bolster the team's attacking options.
 
UTD HEAD COACH JASON HIRSH
Jason Hirsch took over the UT Dallas men's soccer program in 2013 and in 12 seasons led the Comets to four American Southwest Conference championships and five trips to the NCAA Division III National Tournament. Hirsch was named just the second head coach in UTD history in May of 2013, he was named the ASC Coach of the Year in 2016, 2018 and 2019. 
 
THE SERIES
Thursday night marks the first ever meeting on the pitch between West Texas A&M and UT Dallas. The Comets are in their first season as a member of NCAA Division II.
 
WT HEAD COACH BUTCH LAUFFER
Butch Lauffer enters his 35th season as head men's soccer coach at West Texas A&M. Lauffer is now the longest tenured head coach in WT history in a storied career dating back to 1991. Lauffer reached the 500-win plateau on Sept. 30, 2017 with a dominating 13-2 win over UT Permian Basin. 
 
During his tenure, Lauffer coached the men to 31 consecutive non-losing seasons from 1993 to 2023 and the women to 12-plus victories in 12 seasons. Lauffer has recorded a 382-178-59 (.665) record at the helm of the Buffs with a 572-245-75 (.683) overall record at WT.
 
LSC PRESEASON POLL
West Texas A&M was picked fifth in the Lone Star Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll.
 
Midwestern State claimed 16 of the possible 33 first place votes for 338 points to sit atop of the poll followed by St. Mary's (13 first place, 331), St. Edward's (three first place, 297), DBU (241), West Texas A&M (239), Lubbock Christian (169), UT Tyler (161), Oklahoma Christian (134), UT Dallas (104), Texas A&M International (one first place, 86) and Sul Ross State (78).
 
Arthur Souza of St. Edward's was tabbed the league's Preseason Player of the Year while Luke Mulkey and Johnny Thurbin from St. Mary's claimed Defensive and Goalkeeper Preseason Honors.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
Thursday 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).