This Week in Rattlers Soccer
Tues., Nov. 4 • St. Mary's (8-5-3, 7-4-2) at Lubbock Christian (8-6-2, 6-4-2) • 5 p.m.
Regular Season Finale: St. Mary's wraps up the regular season at Lubbock Christian on Tuesday at 5 p.m. Both teams have clinched a spot in the Lone Star Conference Tournament, but are playing for seeding. The other match that plays a factor in where the clubs will be seeded is UT Tyler at UT Dallas.
Breaking It Down: If St. Mary's wins at Lubbock Christian or the teams draw, the Rattlers will be either the No. 5 or No. 6 seed, depending on the outcome of UT Tyler vs UT Dallas. If Lubbock Christian wins, the Rattlers will be the No. 7 seed. The seventh seed will host the eighth seed (which St. Edward's is locked into) on Friday, Nov. 7. DBU has clinched the regular season title, while Midwestern State will be the No. 2 seed.
Scouting Lubbock Christian: The Lady Chaps are 8-6-2 overall and 6-4-2 in league play. LCU did not play DBU this season due to weather, forcing the conference standings into a points per match situation instead of straight points. LCU has won its last two games, snapping a three-match skid prior to that. Ella Spiller leads the team with 25 points (10 goals, five assists), and Emma Wright has been in goal every second of the season, making 56 saves (.778) with 16 goals allowed (1.00 GAA).
History With the Lady Chaps: Lubbock Christian holds an 8-6-4 advantage in the all-time series, however the Rattlers are unbeaten in the last five games (3-0-2) between the two. St. Mary's has won three straight in Lubbock, including 1-0 on Nov. 6, 2021, which snapped a five-match losing streak against the Lady Chaps.
First-Ever: Junior forward Elena Kossler became the first-ever Rattler to win National Player of the Week honors, when she was awarded by D2CIDA on Tuesday, Oct. 28. Kossler collected 11 points the previous week, tying the school record for goals in a game against Eastern New Mexico and scoring the game-tying goal at UT Tyler. Kossler also earned Lone Star Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors on Monday.
Rewriting the Books: Several Rattlers now appear on the single-game, and single-season top-10 lists this season. The active career leaders are on page 2.
Single Game
Most Points: 2nd, Elena Kossler, 9 vs Eastern New Mexico, Oct. 26
Most Points: T9th, Shelby Paniagua, 6 vs Sul Ross State, Oct. 8
Most Goals: T1st, Elena Kossler, 4 vs Eastern New Mexico, Oct. 26
Most Goals: T3rd, Shelby Paniagua, 3 vs Sul Ross State, Oct. 8
Most Assists: T4th, Elena Kossler, 3 vs Texas A&M International, Oct. 28
Most Shots: T2nd, Elena Kossler, 11 vs Eastern New Mexico, Oct. 26
Most Shots: T4th, Elena Kossler, 10 vs Sul Ross State, Oct. 8
Most Shots: T8th, Shelby Paniagua, 9 vs Sul Ross State, Oct. 8
Single Season
Goals: 4th, Elena Kossler, 13
Points, 4th, Elena Kossler, 32
Game-Winning Goals: T1st, Elena Kossler, 5
Storybook Senior Day: Senior forward Sydney Varela medically retired in September after suffering her third major injury in the Gold & Blue, but dressed and started on Sunday for Senior Day. The plan was only to play her until the ball went out of bounds for the first time, but instead she scored a goal 36 seconds in. Elena Kossler had broken free in the box and saw Varela, passed her the ball and gave the Rattlers an early 1-0 lead less than a minute in.Â
Double Trouble: Junior Elena Kossler (13) and senior Shelby Paniagua (10) have combined to score 23 goals this season, which is tied for the fourth-highest scoring duo in Division II. The tandem of Elle Smith (20) and Emily Lattea (9) from Indiana (PA) lead the nation with 29 goals, while two duos have 25, and the Rattlers are tied with Genesis Hernandez (11) and Sofia Suarez (12) from Nova Southeastern at 23.
Freshman Impact: A trio of freshmen: Marily Garza Contreras, Mileena Griego and Aryana Martinez have played in all 16 games this season with Garza Contreras starting in 14, Griego 10 and Martinez four. Fellow freshman Gracie Van Sluis has played in 15 and started in 12, while Alyssah Martinez has played in 14 and has started eight.
Making History: Head Coach Kevin Driggs became the third coach in StMU Women's Soccer history to win 50 games in their career with win No. 50 against Oklahoma Christian on October 4. He is second in school history with his 54 victories, trailing only Corwyn Ritch (2001-19), who won 159 matches in his 18 years.
Anchoring the Defense: Senior Valerie Hover has played 1384 of the team's 1440 minutes this season. She played all 90 minutes 11 times in the 16 games. She is the only player on the team with 1350 or more minutes.Â
Offensive Explosion: At least once in all six seasons with Kevin Driggs as the head coach, the Rattlers have tallied at least one game during the year with five or more goals, and they've done so three times this season, defeating East Central 5-1 (Sept. 13), Sul Ross State 6-0 (Oct. 8) and Eastern New Mexico 5-1 (Oct. 26). The most goals scored during the Driggs era was 12 against Texas Lutheran on March 14, 2021. The win over the Greyhounds on Oct. 26 was the ninth time an StMU team scored five or more in the Driggs era.
Helping Hand/Foot: Senior Shelby Paniagua is ninth on the NCAA Division II active players list with 24 assists and 13th in assists per game (0.31). She ranks tied for second in St. Mary's career history with those 24 assists, is fifth with her 29 goals, and is fifth with 82 points. Her points rank her 17th on the DII active list.
Picked Fifth: The Rattlers were voted fifth in the Lone Star Conference preseason poll. Should the prediction hold, the Rattlers will compete in their sixth-straight LSC Tournament. A season ago, StMU placed fifth with a 9-7-3 overall record.
What's Coming Back: The Rattlers return 19 of the 30 goals scored last season, along with 13 of the 18 assists, including a team-leading eight goals and six assists by senior Shelby Paniagua. The team also returns three defenders from last season's squad that allowed 1.42 goals per game, and senior Abigail Wilson, who was part of the 2023 team that surrendered only 1.27 goals a contest.
