Men's Soccer Hits the Road for the First Time in 2024

This Week in Rattlers Soccer
Monday, Sept. 9 • vs. Colorado Mesa (0-0) • 2 p.m. (CT)/1 p.m. (MT)
Wednesday, Sept. 11 • at Fort Lewis (1-0-1) • 8 p.m. (CT)/7 p.m. (MT)
 
Headed North: The St. Mary's Men's Soccer team heads to Durango, Colo., to face a pair of RMAC opponents in Colorado Mesa on Monday and Fort Lewis on Wednesday. The Mavericks will be playing their first game of the year against the Rattlers, while the Skyhawks are 1-0-1 after beating Lubbock Christian 5-0 in Lubbock and tying 1-1 with Eastern New Mexico in Portales.
 
A Look Back: The Rattlers opened the 2024 season with a 3-1 win over crosstown foe Our Lady of the Lake. Sophomore Gael Gallegos scored two goals and added an assist on the other, along with Andrick Ferrer as they found Bradley Greene streaking down the pitch.
 
All Tied Up: With the win over the Saints, Head Coach Johnny Clifford is now tied for the St. Mary's record with 65 coaching victories. Dave Stolarski established the record in 1981 after eight years at the helm of the program. 
 
Opponent History: St. Mary's is 1-2-1 all-time against Colorado Mesa and 2-4-2 against Fort Lewis.  The Rattlers and Mavs last met in 2017, a 3-1 win for CMU and the two teams have never met on a neutral pitch. In 2019, the Rattlers and Skyhawks played to a scoreless draw. StMU is 0-3-1 in Durango against Fort Lewis and the last two meetings have been ties between the clubs.
 
It's Been A While: The five points for Gael Gallegos (two goals, one assist) in the season opener are the most for a Rattler since the Second Round of the 2019 NCAA Tournament when Nenad Markovic scored three goals for six points against Western Washington.
 
JT Gets The Nod: Junior GK Johnny Thurbin was named the Lone Star Conference Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year. In two years with StMU, Thurbin has played in eight games, starting six with 22 saves (.786 percent). He is 4-1-1 in those six starts and recorded a pair of shutouts last season. Twice he's made six saves in a contest, including at St. Edward's in a 2-1 victory — the first for the Rattlers in Austin in 13 seasons.
 
Picked Third: The Rattlers were chosen to finish third in the LSC Preseason poll, getting one first-place vote and 275 points, which is selected by the head coaches, sports information personnel and select media in the league. A year ago, the Rattlers were 8-5-6 and have won two conference titles in five seasons in the Lone Star. Midwestern State was almost a unanimous pick to repeat as winners, getting 32 of 33 first-place votes and 362 points, while West Texas A&M was chosen second with 303 points.
 
International Flavor: The 2024 StMU roster has players from 12 different countries and one territory. In addition to 14 student-athletes from the United States, there are multiple players from England (4), Italy (2) and Scotland (2).
 
What's Next: The Rattlers remain on the road but will play a lot closer to home, facing rival St. Edward's in Austin on Sunday, Sept. 15 in a non-conference battle. The team then returns home to host Academy of Art on Sept. 19 and Texas A&M International on Sept. 21.