Game Notes

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – A&M-Commerce soccer outdueled Western State to a 1-0 victory on Thursday night and look to sweep their season-opening road trip on Saturday, when they take on UC-Colorado Springs. The second match of the year is slated to begin at 1:00 pm.

- "They are a very good and athletic team. When a Colorado teams plays a Texas team, the home team has a big advantage. We are going to have to grind out another win." - Lion head coach Neil Piper
 
- For the second straight season, Savannah Grasser has scored the first goal of the year for the Lions. Both were against schools from Colorado, and both were Lion victories.
 
- Lion Senior goalkeeper Courtnie Northern recorded three saves en route to her first shutout of the year Thursday evening. Northern finished 2014 with eight shutouts and 104 saves, both good enough for second in the Lone Star Conference.
 
- The Mountain Lions opened their season on Thursday night as well, defeating Texas A&M International 3-1 in Colorado Springs. Bailee Jameson, Michaela Mansfield, and Taylor Braden each scored a goal, while keeper Brandi Arsenault saved three shots.
 
- Texas A&M-Commerce was picked second in the 2015 Lone Star Conference Preseason Poll, which was released on August 5th. One first-place vote and two overall votes separate the Lions from rival Angelo State, who lost three of four meetings between the teams a season ago.
 
- The Lions rank 16th in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Preseason Poll for the 2015 season, with the next poll set to be released on September 8. No other Lone Star Conference team cracked the Top 25.
 
- Dating back to the 2012 season, the Lions are 3-3 against team from the state of Colorado, including a 1-0 mark against UC-Colorado Springs. Last September, the Lions took the only meeting with a 4-1 victory against the Mountain Lions.
 
- Neil Piper is in is 18th season at the helm of the Lion soccer program, and his 199 career victories rank him in the Top 25 of active Division-II coaches. A two-time LSC Coach of the Year, Piper has led the Lions to 10+ wins on 11 occasions and has recorded a winning record in 14 of 17 previous seasons.
 
- 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.