LAST TIME OUT
 
Last week the Patriots went 0-2 and suffered their first two setbacks of the season. The first came against #14 Rogers State in a tight 1-0 affair with just one goal from the Hillcats providing the difference. Harding would take a 3-1 win behind three first half goals, and the second half comeback would come up short for the Patriots as Noe Coutiño knocked in his second goal of the season.
 
THE PRESEASON POLL
 
The Patriots were selected 7^th in the 2025 Lone Star Conference Preseason Poll, slipping just one spot back from their finish in the 2024 campaign. Midwestern State, St. Mary's, St. Edward's, DBU, and West Texas A&M made up the top five in the poll.
 
Oscar Sosa and William Kenne were selected as LSC Preseason Offensive and Defensive Players to Watch.
 
THIS WEEK'S SLATE
 
SAINT MARTIN'S
 
This week the Patriots will take on a pair of Great Northwest Athletic Conference opponents, beginning with Saint Martin's. The Saints are 0-6 to begin the season and have totaled just two goals in their contests while allowing 20. Their most recent contest was against #3 CSU Pueblo, where the Thunderwolves earned a 5-0 win.
 
As a team they are posting 7.7 shots per game with a .435 shots on goal percentage, and they have allowed 15.3 shots per game on a .457 shots on goal percentage. Cole Sullivan and Jonathan Wright serve as the two goal scorers thus far, and Paul Lopez assisted each of those goals to lead the team. Connor Leistiko has been in goal for all six games, and the junior has made 22 saves on the year while posting a .524 save percentage.
 
This will be the first time that the two men's soccer programs have faced off against each other. Saint Martin's and UT Tyler have only ever met once before in any sport, with that matchup coming in 2020 between the two softball programs.
 
SIMON FRASER
 
The Red Leafs are 0-4-2 on the year, picking up draws against Hawaii Pacific and Westmont to begin the year and have now dropped their last four games.
 
Simon Fraser has scored nine goals thus far on 11.8 shots per game and a .465 shots on goal percentage. Their opponents have scored 15 goals on 14.7 shots per game and a .455 shots on goal percentage. Koji Poon leads the offense with three goals on 10 shots. In net, Jordan Thorsen has played every minute so far, with 23 saves and a .605 save percentage.
 
This will also be the first time that these two teams have played each other in men's soccer. Simon Fraser and UT Tyler have previously clashed in women's basketball in 2023 and softball in 2020.
 
PATRIOTS NOTES AND TRENDS
 

• UT Tyler went 4-6-7 in 2024 and 2-2-6 in LSC play on their way to their third berth in the LSC Tournament in program history.
• The only coach in program history, Kenny Jones, is in the midst of his 26^th season as a head coach and 23^rd season with the Patriots. He is 242-104-61 with UT Tyler and is 264-132-65 all-time.
• 2024 All-LSC Honorees Oscar Sosa, Danny DeMarais, and Diego Cruz lead 14 total returners back into the fray as they look to push the program to the next step.
• DeMarais led the team in goals in 2024 with five and in points with 12. Of the nine different goal scorers for the Patriots last season, four make their return, and those four accounted for 12 total goals.
• As a team, the Patriots scored 1.24 goals per game last year and recorded a .410 shots on goal percentage.
• Defensively, they held their opponents to 1.41 goals per game and a .386 shots on goal percentage.
• The Patriots have scored five goals to start the season, an average of one per game. Luan Rangel and Noe Coutiño have each scored a pair, while Henrique Caputo has scored one.
• Goalkeeper Niclas Becker has played every minute of all five games so far. He has a pair of shutouts and has made 16 saves with a .727 save percentage.