WICHITA FALLS, Texas  Western Colorado soccer kicks off its 2024 schedule with a pair of games in the Lonestar State, taking on the Mustangs of Midwestern State University on Thursday followed by a matchup with host West Texas A&M University on Saturday.

WESTERN COLORADO HEADING INTO THE WEEKEND | 2023 Stats

• The Mountaineers finished one point shy of the conference playoffs in 2023, closing the season with a 4-7-1 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference record and a 4-11-3 overall record.
• One of those non-conference defeats came at the hands of visiting Midwestern State, in which the Mustangs notched the game-winning goal on an 87th-minute penalty kick for a 2-1 victory over the Mountaineers.
• Western and West Texas A&M met for the first time in 2021 in a neutral-site match, won by the Mountaineers in a 2-0 shutout. Saturday's bout with the Buffaloes will be the second contest between the two teams.
• Western scored a total of 17 goals during the 2023 season, but departures of the top three goal scorers and an injury takes 11 of those goals away. The Mountaineers will need other players to step up on the attack to light up the scoreboard.
• Returning goalkeepers Aubree Orosco and Jadyn Lozano return for the 2024 season. Orosco logged 400 minutes between the pipes and registered a 1.80 goals against average, while Lozano saw action in just 24 minutes, picking up three saves while allowing a single goal.

MIDWESTERN STATE HEADING INTO THE GAME | 2023 Stats

• The Mustangs finished 2023 with a 10-5-5 overall record and a 6-3-3 mark in Lone Star Conference action. In addition to their contest against the Mountaineers, they also played two other RMAC teams winning one of those outings while playing to a draw in the other.
• For the season MSU outscored its opponents 29-20, led by returner Lexi Beck's seven goals and eight assists for a total of 22 points.
• Allesandra Romano (5G-2A—12 pts.) and Cassidy Savoy (4-3—11) were next on the points list and both are back for the 2024 season.
• Allison Dellis split time in goal for MSU, accumulating nearly 600 minutes on the field and finishing with a stingy 0.79 GAA and coming up with 33 saves.

WEST TEXAS A&M HEADING INTO THE GAME | 2023 Stats

• The Buffs had a rough season in 2023, winning just one game during a 1-10-6 regular season and going 0-8-4 in Lone Star Conference play.
• They were 0-2-2 against RMAC teams during their early-season non-conference slate, and dropped a 3-1 decision late in the schedule to Midwestern State.
• The Buffs surrendered 32 goals on the season while netting 11 from their own attack.
• Senior Reagan Matacale notched two of the team's goals to tie for the team lead, also adding an assist for a total of five points.
• Senior goalie Reagan Heelan returns to the line for the Buffs, playing more than 1,500 minutes between the pipes and finishing with a 1.83 GAA while grabbing a single-season career best 109 saves.

UP NEXT
The Mountaineers return from Texas to host its home opener against Eastern New Mexico on Thursday, Sept. 12, then welcome St. Edwards (Texas) University to Katy O. Rady Field on Sunday morning.