TYLER, TEXAS – The University of Texas at Tyler women's soccer program will get started with their second full season competing in a Lone Star Conference schedule this week with a pair of matches against Texas A&M International on Wednesday and Oklahoma Christian on Saturday.
 
Wednesday's match against Texas A&M International will take place in the friendly confines of the Citizen's 1^st Bank-Perkins Soccer Complex while Saturday's action will take place in Oklahoma City, Okla. against the Eagles. Head coach Stefani Webb and her program are set for 13 Lone Star Conference matches in the coming weeks, the first time through the schedule as full-fledged Division II members with eligibility for postseason competition.
 
UT Tyler has 19 matches of LSC play under their belt after competing in the conference schedule during the second year of the mandatory three-year transition period in 2019, and in last year's rescheduled, shortened spring season after the traditional fall schedule was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
The Patriots enter league play with a 2-1 overall record, having defeated Harding and LSU Alexandria to begin the season on Sept. 2 and 4. UT Tyler suffered a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Ouachita Baptist in their most recent action on Sunday afternoon.
 
THIRD TIME'S THE CHARM
 
Coach Webb and company will start their third season competing in the Lone Star Conference on Wednesday afternoon having posted a 5-13-1 record in LSC matches in the first two seasons in the league in 2019 and the spring of 2021. This fall's Patriots will impose a different level of skill and experience to the Lone Star Conference however, as a talented freshman class combined with a handful of experienced veterans have already shown vast improvement through the first three games of 2021.
 
The returning Patriots to this year's squad also had the opportunity to compete in the LSC Postseason Tournament for the first time in program history last spring, as the shift from the traditional fall schedule to a spring schedule allowed the Patriots a chance to qualify for the tournament despite still completing the mandatory transition phase.
 
THE LEAGUE FORMAT
 
The 2021 LSC schedule will feature 14 teams competing for six spots in the 2021 LSC Women's Soccer Championships scheduled for Nov. 9-14. Games will take place on Wednesday's and Saturday's during the ensuing weeks, with teams flipping home and away contests each week.
 
Each team will compete against their 13 foes once during 2021, with the top six programs in the regular season standings following the conclusion of the regular season qualifying for the postseason tournament.
 
NOT AFRAID TO LET IT FLY
The UT Tyler women's soccer team has displayed a willingness to take chances from just about anywhere on the field so far in 2021. The Patriots have totaled 75 shots through their three games this season, and have matched West Texas A&M for the conference lead in average shots per game.
 
UT Tyler posted a season high and a Division II high 30 shot attempts in Sunday's 3-0 loss at Ouachita Baptist. The team has increased it's shot attempt figures in each of the three contests in 2021, and has notched 36 shot on goal attempts thus far. Coach Webb's team has also held the shot advantage in all three matches up to this point.
 
SENIOR LEADERS
 
Seniors Priscilla Rincon and Megan Watts have led UT Tyler with 258 and 203 minutes played so far in 2021, using their senior leadership along the way to help guide an overall young roster for the Patriots. 25 players have logged game minutes for coach Webb in 2021, including a host of freshman, but the leadership and experience of Rincon and Watts has been reliable despite the new faces to the lineup.
 
SCOUTING THE DUSTDEVILS
 
Texas A&M International posted a 2-2-1 record in Lone Star Conference play during the 2021 spring schedule under first-year head coach Jon Hussak, and have started out the 2021 fall slate with a 1-4 record. The Dustdevils lone win came back on Sept. 10 in a 1-0 victory over Florida Southern in Lakeland, Fla.
 
Texas A&M-International has dropped three straight following that contest, with losses against Saint Leo, Texas Southern and Western Colorado.
 
The Dustdevils have scored four goals in their five games of non-conference competition, two of which came off the foot of Valeria Macias. She also leads the team handily in shot attempts with 20 on the year.
 
SCOUTING THE EAGLES
 
Saturday's opponent Oklahoma Christian will open up their 2021 LSC schedule on Wednesday evening with a road contest at Lubbock Christian prior the weekend's LSC home opener against the Patriots. Oklahoma Christian has gone winless through three contests against Central Oklahoma, Southwestern Oklahoma State and Northwestern Oklahoma State so far in 2021.
 
The Eagles went 0-4-2 in their 2021 spring slate of games, and have netted just a single goal in 2021 through their three matches.
 
HISTORY WITH THE DUSTDEVILS AND THE EAGLES
 
Texas A&M International and UT Tyler are scheduled to meet for just the second time in either program's history on Wednesday afternoon. The Patriots got the better of the Dustdevils in the inaugural meeting between the two sides back on Oct. 31, 2019, securing a 2-0 victory in Laredo.
 
Oklahoma Christian will provide a bit more of a familiar opponent for coach Webb's team, as the two have met a total of four times dating back to the 2008 season. The Patriots hold a 3-1 advantage in the all-time series, and have posted back-to-back 3-0 wins over the Eagles in each of the last two meetings, the first two games between the programs as Lone Star Conference foes.