TYLER, TEXAS – The University of Texas at Tyler will travel to Lubbock, Texas tomorrow afternoon for their lone match of the week against Lubbock Christian at 1 p.m.
 
The Patriots utilized their bye night on Wednesday night to recover after a pair of tough Lone Star Conference matches against Texas A&M-Commerce and #21 West Texas A&M last week, and will look to use the night off to their advantage on Saturday in Lubbock, Texas. UT Tyler enters the match with a 4-5 overall record and sits in 11^th place in the LSC standings with six points and a record of 2-4 in league play.
 
LAST WEEK
 
UT Tyler went on the road Wednesday night and dropped a 6-0 decision against Texas A&M-Commerce before returning home for what would be arguably one of their hardest fought matches of the 2021 season. The Patriots forced overtime against #21 West Texas A&M in that Saturday home match, recording three unanswered second half goals to answer a 4-1 halftime deficit against of the Lone Star Conference's best sides.
 
Sophomore Jordan Colbert scored three times for the Patriots in that contest, two of which came by way of penalty kicks in the second half. Her final goal to solidify the hat trick came with just over a minute left on the second of those two penalty kick goals to tie the match up at 4-4 and forced overtime.
 
West Texas A&M eventually put away the match with less than a minute remaining in the first overtime period at the 99:23 mark, but found all kinds of trouble with what was a rejuvenated Patriot offensive attack in the second half.
 
LET'S KEEP IT GOING
 
UT Tyler has shown stretches of brilliance throughout the 2021 season, and for a team that has comprised the majority of their minutes from freshman and sophomores, it is certainly encouraging for head coach Stefani Webb to see a young team show the fight necessary to come back from multiple goals in the second half against a nationally-ranked foe. The Patriots have also recorded five goals in two games this season, and will be looking to follow up arguably their best offensive half with a key road game on Saturday afternoon.
 
NEED A RESULT
 
Saturday will provide a great opportunity for the Patriots to climb firmly back into contention for one of seven spots in the 2021 LSC Women's Soccer Postseason Tournament. The squad is by no means out of the race, but Lubbock Christian currently sits in a tie for the seventh and final spot in the tournament with 10 conference points, and a win for the Patriots could narrow the margin for UT Tyler for the seventh spot to just a single point.
 
The Patriots have seven games remaining on the conference schedule, providing plenty of time to continue to chip away at the deficit, but a head-to-head win against a team so close in the standings race would go a long way for the squad.
 
A PERFORMANCE FOR THE AGES
 
Sophomore Jordan Colbert was simply sensational for UT Tyler on Saturday afternoon in the 5-4 overtime loss against West Texas A&M, putting away her second, third and fourth goals of the year. The three goals have given Colbert a team-high four goals for the year, and also ties the Allen, Texas native for the most points on the team with eight on the year alongside freshman Faith Adje.
 
Adje has three goals of her own on the year after also scoring on Saturday afternoon, and is joined alongside Colbert and Sarah Flannelly with multiple goals in 2021.
 
SCOUTING AND HISTORY WITH THE CHAPS
 
Lubbock Christian is 6-2-2 on the year and 3-2-1 in conference play entering Saturday's match with the Patriots. The Chaps also dropped their two most recent contests to West Texas A&M and Texas A&M-Commerce, and were outscored in the two matches by a 7-0 combined total.
 
The Chaps hold conference wins against Texas A&M International, UT Permian Basin, and a signature win over top-ranked DBU back on Oct. 2, the only loss DBU has suffered in a regular season conference game since joining the league in 2019.
 
Lubbock Christian has allowed the fourth fewest goals scored in 2021 (8) in the Lone Star Conference and is led offensively by the combination of Makenna Pate and Allison Scott. Both individuals have scored four goals this season, while Scott leads the side with 27 shots for the year.
 
The two teams did not meet during last year's spring season, and have met just one time prior back in 2019. That match was won by Lubbock Christian in 3-0 fashion in Tyler, Texas. Saturday's match will be the first time UT Tyler has made the trip out to Lubbock to play against the Chaps on their home pitch.