COMMERCE, Texas – The Lion soccer team came away with a 10-0 victory to give head coach
Neil Piper the 200th win of his career. On Sunday, the Lions play their fourth contest, a home match against Emporia State at 11 am.
Quotable"Emporia State is a team very similar to us in the sense that they are very direct and have speed and strength up front. They haven't lost this season, so we know it's going to be a tough match. I predict there will be plenty of scoring chances for both teams." – Lion head coach
Neil Piper About the Lions- The Lions are coming off a 10-0 defeat of Oklahoma Baptist on Friday evening, tying a school record for goals in a single game. The mark has now been done three times.
- Two Lions scored hat tricks in that victory, as
Jade Bell found the net three times and
Vicky Back connected on each of her four shots on frame.
- Three other Lion players scored, as well, including the first of the season for
Madison Cordts and the first of
Bailey Collins' career.
Savannah Grasser, who entered play on Friday with the Lions' only goal of the season, easily nailed a penalty kick, as well.
- With Friday night's convincing win, A&M-Commerce head coach
Neil Piper picked up his 200th career victory. He has coached more than 160 players in his time as the Lions' head man, leading the team to six NCAA Tournament appearances and winning two Lone Star Conference Coach of the Year Awards along the way.
- The Lions have yet to be offsides a single time in 2015.
- Every player on the active roster has already seen playing time this year, with nine different players taking a shot. Of those, five have scored at least once, and six players have already recorded an assist.
- A&M-Commerce ranks first in the Lone Star Conference in points (29), goals (11), and assists (7) so far this year, while tying for first in goals allowed (1), shutouts (2), and corner kicks (21).
The Series- The Lions and Hornets have never met head-to-head, but both are coming off recent hot streaks.
- A&M-Commerce and Emporia Statehave each delivered two shutouts through their first three games of 2015. The lone goal the Lions surrendered was an overtime goal against UC-Colorado Springs, while the Hornets gave up their only score in the season-opening win over Harding.
About the Hornets- Emporia State puts their perfect 3-0 record on the line on Sunday after defeating teams from three different states to open the season. The Hornets have outscored Harding (Arkansas), East Central (Oklahoma), and Wayland Baptist (Texas) by a combined 8-1.
- Each of Emporia's wins this year have come away from their home turf. Their home opener comes on September 20, when they host Fort Hays in conference action. The Hornets will have been on the road for five games at that point.
- Emporia's Amelie Huen is the reigning Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Week and is the team's leading scorer, as well.
Fans can follow all the action from the 2015-16 season on www.LionAthletics.com, through twitter @Lion_Athletics and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LionsAthletics. For tickets, please call the Texas A&M-Commerce Ticketing and Marketing Department at (903)-886-5558.
