LAKEWOOD, Colo.  Western Colorado soccer kicks off its 2025 schedule with a pair of neutral-site, non-conference games, squaring off against Southwestern Oklahoma State on Thu., Sept. 4, followed by a Sat., Sept. 6 contest against Oklahoma Christian. Both games will be played at Lakewood Memorial Field and will be hosted by Colorado Christian University.

WESTERN COLORADO HEADING INTO THE WEEKEND | 2024 Stats

• The Mountaineers finished one spot shy of the 2024 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference postseason tournament, posting a league record of 3-6-3 while registering an overall record last season of 4-10-4.
• Western returns its top four point scorers from last season in Natsuki Murakami (3 goals, 2 assists, 8 points), Cianna Thomas (3G, 1A, 7Pts), Jordan Welsh (2G, 1A, 5Pts), and Ellie Kubena (2G, 4Pts).
• Or the Mountaineers' four game-winning goals from last season, Thomas, Welsh and Kubena each knocked home one of them.
• Both Aubree Orosco and Ashlyn Fitzpatrick, who combined for every minute between the pipes last season, are back as the last line of defense. Orosco played the bulk of the minutes (1,332) registering a 0.799 save percentage and a 1.96 goals-against average, but Fitzpatrick should again see some time in goal for the Mountaineers.

SOUTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA STATE HEADING INTO THE GAME | 2024 Stats

• The Bulldogs finished last season with a 5-8-5 overall record, and a 3-5-4 mark in Great American Conference play.
• The top two scorers from last season return, in Philippine de Sancy and Julie Anderson. de Sancy had 2 goals and 2 assists (6 points), while Anderson had a pair of goals and 1 assist (5pts.).
• Allie Vazquez split time in goal last season and is back again for the Bulldogs. She posted a 2-2-3 record in her 646 minutes of action, registering a 0.818 save percentage and a 1.11 goals-against average.
• The Mountaineers and Bulldogs have only played once in the history of the two programs, SWOSU taking a 4-2 win over Western in 2012.

OKLAHOMA CHRISTIAN HEADING INTO THE GAME | 2024 Stats

• The Eagles made it into the 2024 Lone Star Conference postseason tournament last season, with a 6-4-3 league mark, dropping a first-round game to a Dallas Baptist team that played into the second round of the NCAA Division II tournament. Overall, OCU was 10-5-4 last fall.
• Lone Star Forward of the Year Kyla Lovelace, with her 15 goals, needs to be replaced this season. The Eagles' second leading scorer, Caid Jefferson, was only a freshman last season, contributing 4 goals and 3 assists for a total of 11 points.
• Junior Breanna Wooten accumulated all but 200 minutes in goal for the Eagles in 2024, earning an 8-5-4 record with a 0.766 save percentage and a 1.31 goals-against average.
• Saturday's game between OCU and Western will be the first against each other for both programs.

UP NEXT
Western continues non-conference action in its next games, taking on visiting West Texas A&M in the Mountaineers' home opener on Wed., Sept. 10, followed by a matchup against University of Texas – Dallas two days later at Katy O. Rady Field.