This Week in Rattlers Soccer
Wednesday, Oct. 25 • Lubbock Christian (3-2-2) at St. Mary's (4-2-2) • 7 p.m.Â
Saturday, Oct. 5 • St. Mary's at Eastern New Mexico (2-2-3) • 2 p.m. CT/1 p.m. MT
Month Two Begins: The St. Mary's Men's Soccer team hosts Lubbock Christian on Wednesday at 7 p.m. before making the long trek to Eastern New Mexico on Saturday for a game that is now scheduled for 2 p.m. Wednesday will be the Blue Game and fans are asked to wear Blue shirts to support the Rattlers in their Lone Star Conference opener.
All-Time With LCU: Lubbock Christian holds a slight 6-5-2 edge in the all-time series between the two clubs that started in 2011. A season ago, the two teams played two a 2-2 draw, while in 2022 the Rattlers won 2-1 in Lubbock. StMU is 2-4-2 all-time at home.
All-Time with ENMU: The Rattlers enjoy a 12-9-1 lead in the meetings with Eastern New Mexico in a series that dates back to 2004. The Rattlers had won seven-straight between the two teams until last season in Portales, where the Greyhounds won 4-2. The game is part of a busy Saturday for the Greyhounds as the school also hosts cross country, women's soccer, volleyball and football on campus.
Conference Openers: 2024 marks the second straight season the Rattlers have opened Lone Star Conference play against Lubbock Christian. Last year the teams ended in a 2-2 draw after the Rattlers jumped out to a 2-0 lead on a pair of goals by Gael Gallegos. The Rattlers are 3-1-1 in the five previous LSC openers and are 1-0-1 in games taking place at Sigma Beta Chi Field. Under Johnny Clifford, the Rattlers are 4-1-1 in the first contest of league action.
Double G's: With this brace at UT Tyler, sophomore forward Gael Gallegos matched his goal total from his first season, doing so in 12 fewer shots and 11 fewer matches. Gallegos has six goals on the year and ranks second in the Lone Star Conference with 0.75 goals per contest, trailing only Mere Escobar from Midwestern State, who averages 1 per game.
Welcome Back: Fifth-year student Juan Jose Valdez Lopez made his first appearance of the season against Midwestern State, playing 24 minutes. He is in his third season with the Rattlers and has 20 shots on goal in 40 shots with two goals and four assists during his 39 contests.
It's An Honor: Senior Pau Mateu Deya was named the Lone Star Conference Defensive Player of the Week after scoring the winning goal against Texas A&M International on Sept. 21 and helping the Rattlers defense allow only one goal and four shots on goal in the two games. It is the first weekly award of the season for the Rattlers.
Taking the Shot: The Rattlers lead the Lone Star Conference and rank sixth nationally in shots per game with 17.00 and are first in the league and ninth nationally in corner kicks per game with 7.00. On the flip side, the defense is allowing only 0.75 goals per game, which leads the Lone Star and is 21st nationally.Â
Getting the Jump: St. Mary's is 4-0-0 this season when scoring first and 0-2-1 when the opposition finds the back of the net first. The Rattlers are 61-3-4 all-time under Head Coach Johnny Clifford when taking the initial lead.
Stingy Defense: The Rattlers defense has held all eight opponents to six shots on goal or fewer this season. Goalkeeper Johnny Thurbin ranks second in the nation in keeper minutes played (720), but has not had very many save attempts due to the defensemen in front of him.
And The Record Goes To: The 3-1 win over Academy of Art on Thursday saw Head Coach Johnny Clifford become the all-time winningest coach in St. Mary's Men's Soccer history. He now has 68 victories, passing Dave Stolarski (1974-81), who won 65 in his eight years.
