TYLER, TEXAS - The Patriots men's soccer program will head into their first full week slate of LSC play as they take on #18 West Texas A&M and Oklahoma Christian.
 
UT Tyler is now 5-3-1 on the season. In their previous outing, the men's program took down UT Permian Basin on a late, game winning goal from Sergio Sola. That 1-0 victory makes the Patriots 4-2 in one goal games this season.
 
THE WEEK AHEAD
 
The Patriots will have two games this week, with both being Lone Star Conference matchups. First on tap will be a matchup against #18 West Texas A&M. That game is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Canyon, Texas.
 
The second of the two games will be against Oklahoma Christian. That game will take place at Citizens 1^st Bank-Perkins Soccer Complex and is scheduled for a 5 p.m. start.
 
SERIES HISTORY
 
The Patriots and Buffs have met just three previous times. All three of those meetings have come in the last two seasons. The record for the Patriots is 0-2-1 against the Buffs. Most recently, the two teams met on 4/10/2021. In that game the Buffs came away with a 2-0 victory on their home field. The Wednesday night matchup will be the second ever meeting in Canyon, Texas.
 
The Patriots are 2-0-1 all time against the Eagles. All three of those contests have come in the previous two years. The most recent matchup came earlier this season on Sept. 4. In that matchup, the teams played to a 1-1 draw in Oklahoma City, Okla. This Saturday's contest will mark the first time the Eagles have ever visited UT Tyler.
 
THE SCOUTING REPORT
 
The Buffs are 7-2 on the season. They began their Lone Star Conference schedule on Saturday with a 3-0 defeat to Lubbock Christian. #18 West Texas A&M is outscoring their opponents 22-16 on the year, while also averaging 2.44 goals per contest. Leading the way in goals is junior Giancarlo Saldana with nine.
 
The Buffs are led by head coach Butch Lauffer. Lauffer is in his 31^st season at the helm, and has an all-time record of 356-159-39. Most recently, Lauffer won the LSC championship in the 2020-2021 season.
 
Oklahoma Christian is currently 1-5-2 on the year. The Eagles began their Lone Star Conference slate with a 3-2 loss to #8 Midwestern State in double overtime. Oklahoma Christian is currently being outscored by their opponents 14-12. However, they are averaging 14.9 shots per game and those shots go on goal 34.5% of the time. Leading the way for the Eagles with three goals is freshman John Osadolor Ighede.
 
The Eagles are coached by first year head coach Mitchell Sowerby. Sowerby comes to the Eagles from Mid-American Christian. His all-time record is 36-12-6.
 
AROUND THE LONE STAR CONFERENCE
 
Lone Star Conference members finished the previous weeks' schedule by going a combined 5-6. Last Saturday marked opening day for conference play. Midwestern State, UT Tyler, Texas A&M International, and Lubbock Christian all began play with a victory.
 
Players of the week for the conference: Offensive- Mere Escobar, Midwestern State; Defensive- Luca Hollenstein, Lubbock Christian; Goalkeeper- Braxton Thorne, Lubbock Christian.
 
ANOTHER CLOSE VICTORY
 
With the last-minute goal from Sergio Sola against UT Permian Basin on Saturday, the Patriots climbed to 4-2 in one score games this season. In the four victories, four different Patriots have attached themselves to the goal sheet.
 
Sola, Michael Agyeman, Sören Wald, and Jack Simonini have all scored a go-ahead goal this season. Of those four goals, the scores from Sola and Agyeman both came in the final six minutes of the match.
 
COMING UP NEXT WEEK
 
Next week's contests for the Patriots will feature another pair of Lone Star Conference games. On Wednesday, Oct. 20 the program will travel to Wichita Falls, Texas to take on #8 Midwestern State for a 7 p.m. kick off.
 
Following that contest, the Patriots will return home against Lubbock Christian. That matchup will be at 2 p.m. at the Citizens 1^st Bank-Perkins Soccer Complex.