The East Central University soccer team is preparing for the final non-conference match of the 2014 season and the opening matches of the Great American Conference schedule.  The Tigers will first battle with Lubbock Christian, Sunday, Sept. 21 at 1 p.m. at Tiger Field.  ECU will then hit the road for five-straight matches starting at Northwestern Oklahoma State (Sept. 25) and Southwestern Oklahoma State (Sept. 27).

The Coverage
Fans who can't be at the match can find links to live stats and live video (if available) on ECUTigers.com.  Go to the soccer schedule page.  

Scouting Lubbock Christian
The Lady Chaps are 3-1 in 2014 and will face Midwestern State Sept. 19 before traveling to Ada.  LCU has attempted a lot of shots this season and has held its opponents to less than a third of the chances.  The Lady Chaps have tallied 75 shots and allowed just 28.  This has led to a 13-3 goal differential as well.

Brooke Wendl is the key offensive threat for the Lady Chaps, with five goals and three assists.  Claudia Sanchez is second on the team with three goals.  Lauren Story has been a solid netminder, allowing just three goals, recording two shutouts and having a .667 saves percentage.

The Series
This is the first meeting between the Tigers and LCU.

Scouting Northwestern
The Rangers are currently 2-1-1 overall and will face Newman (Sept. 19) and Rogers State (Sept. 21) before hosting ECU.

Leidane Capobianco is the only player on the team who currently has tallied more than one goal, with two.  Jessica Lynch has been a key asset to all six of the goal scores, with four assists so far this season.  Briana Legaspi has allowed just three goals this season and has tallied 18 saves.

Against the Rangers
Last year, the Tigers went 2-0 against NWOSU, with a 2-0 win at home and a 4-1 win on the road.  Senior Milan Galloway leads a trio of returns with a goal, by adding two assists.  Seniors Katie Glutz added two goals, while senior Kourtney Holleman tallied one.  Junior Taylor Lowe allowed just one goal in two matches, earning a shutout and a .833 saves percentage.

Sarah Witty scored the lone goal for the Ranges in the series and is the key returner for NWOSU.

The Series
The Tigers currently hold a 4-1-2 lead in the all-time series, including a 3-0-1 mark in GAC action and a 2-1-1 mark when playing in Alva.  ECU earned a win in the last road meeting (Oct. 18, 2013), 4-1.

Scouting Southwestern
The Bulldogs, who are coming off two-straight GAC titles, are 0-3-1 overall to start the season.  SWOSU will play three matches before hosting the Tigers, including a match against Southern Nazarene (Sept. 25) to open league play.

Olivia Butler and Shelley Mueller have tallied a goal each to account for all of the Bulldogs scoring so far this season.  Courtney Flores has seen all the action in net, allowing eight goals and stopping 26 shots.

Against the Bulldogs
In 2013, ECU dropped both meetings with SWOSU.  Senior Taylor Graves tallied a goal for the Lady Tiger returners, while junior Taylor Lowe stopped eight shots and allowed eight goals.

Cori Kelly and Mariah Balezentis led the Bulldog returners with two goals each.  Courtney Flores allowed just one goal.

The Series
Despite losing two games in 2013, the Tigers hold a 10-7-2 lead in the all-time series.  When playing in Weatherford, the teams have battled to a 5-5 tie.

Glutz Defender of the Week
Senior Margaret Glutz was named the GAC Defender of the Week for Sept. 16 after helping the Tigers to a 2-0-1 mark.

The Santee, Calif., native anchored a Tiger defense that allowed only four goals in three matches last week. Against Newman, she helped a defense that blocked a pair of shots and added an assist on the first goal. Against Oklahoma Baptist, she paced ECU to their first shutout win of the season, while the defense blocked a total of four shots.

Heavy Home Schedule Late
This season those wishing to see the Tigers in action at home against other members of the GAC will have to wait until late in the season.  This year all the home conference matches are in a block at the end of the season, starting Oct. 16 against Northwestern Oklahoma State.

Up Next
The Tigers will continue their road trip with three more GAC matches, starting Oct. 3 at Southern Nazarene at 6 p.m.