Fort Lewis will face a familiar foe in Lubbock Christian tomorrow at 4:30 p.m. on Dirks Field, marking the third consecutive matchup between the two squads and fourth overall. The Skyhawks topped the Chaparrals 5-0 last season down in Lubbock, Texas, while the two teams hold a 1-1 series tie here in Durango. Lubbock Christian took the most recent match at home, 3-2, back on Aug. 31, 2023, after Fort Lewis won the first-ever meeting 3-1 back on Sept. 2, 2021.
This season, LCU was picked to finish sixth in the Lone Star Conference among the LSC's 11 teams in the leagues preseason poll. In addition, graduate goalkeeper Connor Pettigrew, senior midfielder Manu Nunez, and senior defender Geoffroy Letienne were each tabbed as preseason players to watch. Last season, Lubbock Christian captured a 6-6-5 overall record, a 3-4-3 mark in Lone Star play, and tied for sixth in conference play before ultimately surrendering the final spot in the LSC Conference Tournament to UT Tyler on tiebreaker rules thanks to a 2-2 tie with the Eagles in the regular season.
Guided by now fourth-year head coach Collin Cone, the Chaparrals averaged 1.24 goals per game on 10.5 shots per contest and a 50 percent shots-on-goal percentage. At the same time, LCU surrendered 1.53 goals per game on 12.9 shots and a 43.2 percent shots-on-goal percentage from its opponents. LCU also boasted 50 yellow cards compared to 20 from its opponents.
Lubbock Christian will be without its strongest offensive piece from last season following the departure of freshman phenom Justin Martinez. The 2024 All-LSC Third-Team, All-LSC Freshman Team, and United Soccer Coaches All-Region selection led the Chaparrals with six goals and two assists for 14 total points on the year. Letienne and senior forward Francisco Horta are the only returning multi-goal scorers for the team, with three goals and two goals each, respectively.
Pettigrew stood between the posts against Fort Lewis last season, surrendering the most goals against of the season for LCU. Across 2024 as a whole, Pettigrew was the only man in goal for the Chaparrals, carrying a 1.53 goals-against average and a 72.3 percent save percentage with 26 goals allowed and 68 saves made against 220 shots faced.