Midwestern State vs Lubbock Christian
Wednesday, Oct. 27 - 7:30 p.m.
Stang Park (Wichita Falls, Texas)
All-Time Series: Tied at 1-1
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WICHITA FALLS, Texas -- After posting back-to-back Lone Star Conference wins, Midwestern State (8-3-3, 5-1-3 LSC) looks to Lubbock Christian (7-4-2, 4-4-1 LSC) for the third straight victory. The LSC match kicks off at 7:30 p.m. at Stang Park on Wednesday, Oct. 27. Military Appreciation Day will honor those who have served.
 

FIVE STORY LINES

1 |  Cassidy Savoy is back on top for MSU after collecting a goal and assist in the team's win against West Texas A&M (10/23). The sophomore conducted a brace plus a helper in the team's 5-1 defeat over UT Permian Basin (10/13) and added a two-goal match against Northwestern Oklahoma State (9/02). Her second goal at NWOKS notched her only game-winner of the season. The Fort Worth, Texas native posts five goals and three assists on the year to total 13 points. Savoy launched 26 shots and landed 12 on goal for a 0.462 shot on goal percent in 13 games played.  The forward caught a season-high five attempts versus Eastern New Mexico (9/29) and Oklahoma Christian (10/06) while gaining three shots on goal at UT Permian Basin (10/13). In her career, Savoy clinched 34 attempts with 16 going on frame for a 0.471 percent in 23 games played and 1,086 minutes.

Allison Scott leads Lubbock Christian with 11 points split into four goals and three assists. The senior recorded 28 shots with 12 landing on goal for a 0.429 shot on goal percent in nine starts.

2 |  Randi Heaton and Kelly Cannistra have also landed five goals on the season. Cannistra comes in at ten points while Heaton adds an assist to notch 11. Three of Heaton's five tallies clinched the game for Midwestern State, a feat tied for second in the Lone Star Conference. Most recently, the midfielder collected her fifth goal and the game-winner against Texas A&M-Commerce (10/20) while Heaton's other two clinchers came in the team's overtime victories over East Central (9/18) and St. Mary's (10/02). The senior notched 12 shots and faced 11 on frame for an impressive 0.917 shot on goal percent. Cannistra has two game-winning goals to her name this season. The senior punched the winning tally at UT Permian Basin (10/13) and against West Texas A&M (10/23). Overall, Cannistra tallies 16 shots on goal from 24 attempts in 923 minutes. The forward posted starts in all 14 matches this season.

Makenna Pate is second on the Lady Chaps' list with four goals and eight points. The sophomore registered 28 attempts in 13 appearances and collected a team-best two game-winning goals.

3 |  Lexi Beck continues her sharp shooting streak in her first year at MSU. The freshman posts a Lone Star Conference tenth highest attempts with 38 and her average of 2.71 also ranks tenth. Beck put 21 shots on frame to sit tied for fifth in the LSC. The midfielder found a season-high seven shots at East Central (9/18) and four shots on goal at Northwestern Oklahoma State (9/02). Beck records two goals and two helpers for six points on the season. She notched the game winning goal against Northwestern Oklahoma State (9/02) for her first collegiate points. Versus Eastern New Mexico (9/29), Beck went for a goal and added an assist. Her second helper of the year was on Cannistra's tally against Texas A&M International (10/09). The Fort Worth, Texas native started all 14 matches for MSU for 1,203 minutes.

Celia Duarte posted two goals and one assist for five points on the LCU season. The sophomore made eight starts and grabbed 16 attempts at goal in 493 minutes.

4 |  With five games and two starts under her belt, Lauren Freeman has found her way in her first year at Midwestern State. The junio transfer from Eastern Oklahoma State allowed just three goals in 276 minutes of play. One came at the hands of the No. 5 Dallas Baptist (10/16) while the other two goals were unfortunate penalty kicks versus West Texas A&M (10/23). In facing 32 shots, Freeman made 12 saves to clinch one shutout against Texas A&M-Commerce (10/20). The goalkeeper made five stops in each match against DBU and WT and registered a 0.800 save percent. The Cleburne, Texas native is 2-0 on the season with a 0.98 goals against average.

Megan Mirabal and Hannah Wise have split time in goal for Lubbock Christian. Mirabal has 17 saves with five goals against and a 1.05 GAA. Wise counts 40 stops and a 0.816 save percent in her 4-3-1 record. Mirabal gained one shutout while Wise collected four.

5 |  14 matches into the 18 game regular season, MSU's 25 goals overtook their totals from the 2020 and 2019 seasons. In 2020, the team put up 11 goals in ten games and in 2019, the Mustangs accounted 21 goals in 18 matches. The team is on the way to matching the 30 goals collected in the 2017 season. In their first 14 matches, the Mustangs have played to eight wins, three drops and three draws for a .679 winning percent overall and 0.772 in Lone Star Conference play. Midwestern State out shines their opponents 224 to 192 on shots, kicking 34 at East Central (9/18). They also have 124 to 90 for shots on goal with the season-high 21 coming at East Central. As a whole, the squad earned 15 assists versus the opposition's six helpers. The team's 0.112 shot percentage beats the opposition at 0.073. As for corner kicks, MSU registers 79 corner kicks and holds the other teams to 55.

HEAD COACH RYAN SPENCE begins his fourth season as head coach at his alma mater. In the 2020 season, he led the Mustangs to the quarterfinals of the Lone Star Conference Tournament. As a player, Spence helped the Mustangs dominate in his four years on the field. He earned All-American from 2008-11 and helped the team reach the Final Four in 2010. His center back prowess assisted in gaining 35 shutouts in his tenure. After graduating with a bachelor's degree, he gained his masters from MSU in 2014-15. From there, Spence moved on as assistant coach at Texas A&M International in 2016 and head coach at Eastern New Mexico in 2017 before coming back to Midwestern State in 2018.
 
SERIES WITH THE LADY CHAPS
The series between Midwestern State and Lubbock Christian is fairly new with only two previous match-ups. Each team walked away with one win as MSU took the first in 2014 by 2-1 and LCU claimed number two in 2019 by 2-1. Both matches took place in Wichita Falls, Texas, which puts the Mustangs at a 1-1 record against the Lady Chaps while at home. The 2019 match was a Lone Star Conference battle so Lubbock Christian takes the 1-0 advantage in conference play. Midwestern State will look to change that at Wednesday's match.