Match Info		Opponent Info
UT Permian Basin vs. UT Tyler UTPB: 2-2-2, 0-0 LSC | UTT: 5-1-1, 0-0 LSC Saturday, Oct. 1 | 4:00 p.m. UTPB Soccer Field Odessa, Texas			ROSTER	SCHEDULE	STATS

THE SEASON SO FAR
 
It has been a wildly successful year thus far for the Patriots. They are off to their best start of the Division II era at 5-1-1 and it doubles as the second best start in program history.
 
Five of their seven contests thus far have been shutouts, leading to a fifth overall ranking in all of Division II in shutout percentage. The defense from the Patriots has been stellar, posting a .429 goals against average and a +14 goal differential. Those two statistical marks rank eighth and 14^th in Division II, respectively.
 
Adding in to that strong defense has been the performance of both Mathias Eriksen and Asier Vegas in goal. The pair have combined for a .885 save percentage (sixth in Division II) and Eriksen is ranked third in Division II in goals against average at .214.
 
On offense, several players have stepped up in creating good chances and have helped the Patriots to that +14 goal differential. As a team, UT Tyler is 13^th nationally in shots per game, and 16^th in shots on goal per game. Additionally, the team is 11^th nationally in assists per game, and are 24^th in scoring offense in all of Division II.
 
WHAT COACH JONES IS SAYING
 
On bouncing back from the first loss of the year: "I think for the most part we had a really good plan going in. We did most of what we talked about and tried to execute, the hardest part for us right now is getting everyone on the same page."
 
On the great start through seven games: "It has been a great assessment in terms of what tools we have and what personalities we have, and now what do we need to do in order to make a strong statement in our conference. We are really just trying to get everyone on the same page and I know it will pay off in the end when we are playing so many guys."
 
On the first LSC match this weekend: "Obviously anytime you go on the road in this conference it's tough, we just did this against Texas A&M International so hopefully we will learn from that experience. We have had some time off this week and over the weekend so hopefully the guys are feeling really fresh.
 
REGIONAL RANKINGS
 
The Patriots slipped a couple of spots down to number eight in this weeks United Soccer Coaches South Central Region poll after the tight 2-0 loss against Texas A&M International last week.
 
Midwestern State and CSU-Pueblo held on to the top two spots for the second consecutive week. St. Mary's and Oklahoma Christian flipped spots, and Colorado-Colorado Springs rounds out the top five.
 
SERIES HISTORY
 
UT Tyler has now jumped out to a 3-1-1 series lead over UT Permian Basin following their win on September 17 in Tyler, Texas. That meeting saw Nolan Giles collect his fourth goal of the season and Andre Cavichione score his first in a dominant 2-0 victory for the Patriots.
 
The last meeting in Odessa took place back on October 2, 2021 in a game that saw the Patriots prevail by a 1-0 score. In that contest, it was Michael Agyeman who scored the game winner with a beautiful goal from just outside the box.
 
SCOUTING OUT THE FALCONS
 
The Falcons sit at an even 2-2-2 through their first six games of the season. They are coming off of a 3-0 defeat to St. Mary's on September 28^th in their final non-conference contest.
 
On the statistical side, the Falcons are the fifth ranked LSC team in assists per game at 1.50, and rank sixth in points per game at 4.50. Gustavo Barroso leads the team in goals with three, and also doubles as the teams assist leader with three as well.
 
Victor Dominguez leads the Falcons as their Interim Head Coach. This is his third season with the Falcons and the first as head coach. Most recently, Dominguez helped lead the Falcons to their first appearance in the Lone Star Conference tournament in 2021 after winning two of their last three games.
 
NEXT ON THE SLATE
 
Following the weekend contest against UT Permian Basin, the Patriots will return home to Citizens 1^st Bank-Perkins Soccer Complex on Wednesday, October 5 for a critical home matchup against West Texas A&M. It will be a short home trip as the Patriots then hit the road for a contest against RV Oklahoma Christian on October 8 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.