By Alan Wiederhold-Sohn
HT Athletic Communications
RAPIDES PARISH, La. – Huston-Tillotson University's men's soccer team will cross the Sabine and Red rivers this week for a challenging pair of road contests as they visit Louisiana Christian and LSU–Alexandria.
The Rams (3-3-2, 2-3-1 RRAC) will take their two-match winning streak into the Bayou State. They face formidable opponents in Rapides Parish, as LCU and LSU–Alexandria are placed third and second in the Red River Athletic Conference, respectively, and have a combined one loss in 14 conference matches.
Huston-Tillotson got a standout performance from
Albright Wesley Suh in last Saturday's 3-1 win over Southwest (N.M.) as the Cameroon national scored all three goals and turned in HT's first hat trick performance since 2022.
Suh's four goals lead the team in scoring. Agile midfielder
Matias Olivas has two goals in regular-season competition, as well as two more goals in an exhibition win over Texas Lutheran's reserves.
HT goalkeeper
Juan Acosta is 3-2-2 this season with a 1.67 goals-against average. He has two shutouts to his credit this season.
Head coach
Aaron Yancy's team climbed into seventh place with last week's win over Southwest. They also await either a rescheduling or forfeit win against Paul Quinn College, which did not show up to their scheduled match at HT last Thursday. PQC is last place in the RRAC and present a solid opportunity for three more points for HT on the RRAC table.
MATCH DAY 9
The Contest: HT Rams (3-3-2, 2-3-1 RRAC) at Louisiana Christian (8-2-2, 5-1-1 RRAC)
The Trip: Pineville, La.
The Pitch: Wildcat Field (On-campus soccer and football stadium)
The Outing: Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024 / 7:30 p.m.
The Watch: Wildcat Sports Network ($5 Pay-per-view)
The Little Kicks: RedRiverConference.com Live Stats
About the Wildcats
• LCU enters Thursday's contest ranked No. 25 in the NAIA men's soccer poll. The Wildcats were ranked for the first time in their history when the most recent poll was released Oct. 9, after receiving votes for 24 consecutive weeks.
• The Wildcats are the defending Red River Athletic Conference tournament champions, and advanced to the second round of the 2023 NAIA Men's Soccer Tournament
• LCU saw their five-match winning streak snapped this past Saturday in a 6-1 loss at home to RRAC-leading LSU–Shreveport.
• Five Wildcats have scored multiple goals this season, with Brazilian national Pedro Sao Tiago leading the 'Cats with eight goals and four assists.
Series Outlook
• The Wildcats hold a 3-1 advantage over HT in the all-time series that began in 2021 when LCU returned to the NAIA after more than decades as an NCAA Division III program
• LCU has won the last three matchups between the teams, including two wins in Pineville in 2022 – a 2-1 win in the regular season and a 3-0 win in the first round of the 2022 RRAC Tournament
• HT won the first meeting between the two teams in 2021, defeating the Wildcats 2-1 in Round Rock, Texas
MATCH DAY 10
The Contest: HT Rams at LSU–Alexandria (7-3-2, 5-0-2 RRAC)
The Trip: Alexandria, La.
The Pitch: Generals Soccer Field
The Outing: Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024 / 3 p.m.
The Watch: LSUA Athletics YouTube channel
The Little Kicks: RedRiverConference.com Live Stats
About the Generals
• LSU–Alexandria is unbeaten in seven conference matches this season; the Generals have not lost in a month and half, when they lost 5-2 at Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.)
• The Generals are coming off a 1-0-1 week, having tied first-place LSU–Shreveport 2-2 last Thursday before defeating Texas A&M–Texarkana 1-0.
• Adam Sherwood leads three LSUA players with at least four goals to their credit. Sherwood has scored five goals, while Alfie Lee and Pablo Dominguez de León have scored four goals apiece.
Series Outlook
• The Generals lead the all-time series with HT 7-0-2 dating back to LSU–Alexandria's inaugural soccer season in 2014.
• LSUA debuted its soccer and volleyball teams in 2014 while also joining the RRAC the same year; prior to the 2014-15 season, the school only fielded baseball and softball teams in the NAIA's Association of Independent Institutions.
• The Rams drew 2-2 with the Generals in Alexandria on Oct. 24, 2019; HT also drew with the Generals on Sept. 25, 2021 in Pflugerville, Texas.
– HT –
Louisiana Christian University sports information director Brian Baublitz Jr. contributed information in the "About the Wildcats" section.
