Wednesday, October 11 • Canyon • The Pitch
*#RV St. Mary's (6-3-2, 0-1-1) at West Texas A&M (5-3-2, 2-0-0) • 5 p.m.
Saturday, October 14 • San Antonio • Sigma Beta Chi Field
*Oklahoma Christian (1-5-5, 0-1-1) at #RV St. Mary's • 5 p.m.
Split Week: Now that Lone Star Conference play has begun, the Rattlers will split weeks, playing one match at home and one on the road for the next three weeks. This week, StMU begins at West Texas A&M on Wednesday before hosting Oklahoma Christian on Saturday. Both matches have 5 p.m. starts.
Series History: Wednesday will be the second meeting this year between West Texas A&M and the Rattlers. StMU won 2-0 on Sept. 2 and is now 7-21-4 all-time against the Buffs. Last season in Canyon, the teams ended in a 1-1 draw. The Rattlers and OC Eagles split matches last season, but St. Mary's still holds a 9-4-2 lead in the series.
It's Been A While: The loss at Eastern New Mexico on Saturday was the first road loss since Nov. 12, 2021 when StMU lost 2-1 to then-#8 Midwestern State in the Lone Star Conference Tournament. It is also the first time since Oct. 30, 2021 the team surrendered four goals in a contest.
Get It Gael: Freshman Gael Gallegos became the third different Rattler this season to score multiple goals in a match with two goals in an eight-minute stretch in the first half against Lubbock Christian on Wednesday. He joins senior Cian Foley and sophomore Alexander Carey with multiple-goal games in 2023.
Early Start: St. Mary's is 5-0-1 when scoring first this season and 1-3-1 when the opponent finds the back of the net first.
Double Digit Helpers: Ten different players have recorded an assist this season and Avery Estell (2), Cian Foley (4) and Juan Jose Valdez Lopez (2) each have multiple assists.
Among The Best: Senior Cian Foley currently ranks fifth in the Lone Star Conference in goals per game (0.55) and points per game (1.45) and he is seventh in assists per game (0.36). He also ranks third in total goals (6) and points (16) and is sixth in assists (4). All six numbers rank him in the top 100 in the nation.
Closing In: Head Coach Johnny Clifford won his 62nd career game against Eastern New Mexico to tie for second all-time and is only three victories away from tying the wins record at St. Mary's. Dave Stolarski won 65 contests from 1974-81, while Que Willis is tied for second with 62 wins (2003-13).
Keeping It Clean: The Rattlers lead the Lone Star Conference and rank second in the nation in fewest fouls per game at 6.27. Shaw leads the nation with only 5.09 fouls. Lubbock Christian and Midwestern State also rank in the top 10 with the Chaps tied for sixth (8.00) and the Mustangs 10th (8.18).
