Lions host rematch with Oklahoma Christian in LSC Tournament opener

COMMERCE – The A&M-Commerce Lions close out the regular season Wednesday night, looking to clinch a home game in the upcoming Lone Star Conference Tournament. It will be the Lions’ only road game of the regular season as they take on Midwestern State. 

WHO: Oklahoma Christian at A&M-Commerce

WHERE: Commerce | Lion Soccer Field

WHEN: 2:00 pm on Saturday, April 3

RECORDS: A&M-Commerce is 3-2-0 overall and 3-2-0 in Lone Star Conference play, which earned the third seed in the division. Oklahoma Christian is 1-6-2 overall and 0-4-2 in the LSC and is the sixth seed in the division.

TELEVISION/LIVE VIDEO: LSC Digital Network

LIVE STATS: http://statbroadcast.com/events/statmonitr.php?gid=tame 

The Lions have had a one-goal differential in all five matches this season, with two overtime matches. 

A&M-Commerce is making its 22nd appearance in the LSC Tournament and 34th match with a 16-17 record, while OC is in the LSC Tournament for the first time. The winner faces the winner over the West Texas A&M/Texas Woman’s match on Tuesday. 

A&M-Commerce has 2.2 goals per match average, which was good for fifth in the league, while OC scored eight goals in nine matches for .889 goals per match average. Similarly, the Lions are second in the conference at 19.0 shots per match, while OC has only taken 7.89 shots per match. 

Leslie Campuzano is second in the LSC in points per match at 2.60 and assists per match at 1.0. She’s scored four goals in five games. 

Cora Welch scored twice in the win over Midwestern State on Wednesday, sending the Lions to a 2-1 win, which clinched Saturday’s home game. Her 1.0 points per match are 13th in the LSC. 

Brianna Concienne has taken 2.38 shots per match for the Eagles, which ranks 13th in the conference. Natalie Thomas’s three goals lead the team, and Concienne’s three assists lead OC. 

Lauren Banning is fifth in the LSC with a 1.501 goals-against average for the Lions, and Gabby Goddard has a 2.132 goals-against average for the Eagles, which is ninth in the conference. 

In the series history

It is the sixth all-time meeting between the Lions and the Eagles, with A&M-Commerce holding a 4-1 record. The Lions are 4-0 against the Eagles in Commerce with wins in 1995, 1996, 2013, and 2021. 

In this year’s meeting, OC’s Natalie Thomas scored in the opening minute, but Campuzano scored in the 32nd and 58th minutes to give the Lions a 2-1 win. The Lions outshot OC 28-7.

Lion women ranked third in West Regional rankings entering the final week of the regular season.

INDIANAPOLIS – The Texas A&M University-Commerce women’s golf team is ranked fourth in the NCAA Division II West Region in the regional ranking. 

The Lions have achieved their highest-ever regional ranking, behind only DBU and Oklahoma Christian. For the 2021 NCAA Division II Championships, nine teams from the West Region will qualify for the tournament due to a 25 percent reduction in field sizes across Division II. 

The Lions qualified for their first-ever Regional Tournament in 2019. They were on pace to be eligible in 2020 before the onset of the global pandemic. 

In the GolfStat statistical rankings, the Lions are seventh in the nation, DBU is first, and OC is 19th. Sophie-Charlott Hempel (Pirmasens, Germany) is ranked 45th in the country, Inma Ortiz Prieto (Huelva, Spain) is ranked 68th in the nation, and Sarah Wongsinth (Udon Thani, Thailand) is ranked 77th nationally. 

The Lions are in the final stretch of the regular season with two upcoming tournaments in Arizona. They will play in the Palm Valley Classic on Friday and Saturday and the West Texas A&M Desert Invitational on Monday and Tuesday. 

The Lone Star Conference Championships are at the Texas Rangers Golf Club on April 12-14, and they announce the regional tournament field on April 26. The West Regional will be at the Wildhorse Golf Club at Robson Ranch in Denton on May 3-5.