COMMERCE– The Texas A&M University-Commerce soccer team will play in the Lone Star Conference postseason tournament this weekend. The Lions are the second seed in the conference. After receiving a first round bye, the Lions will play their second round match on Friday against West Texas A&M with the championship round on Sunday. A&M-Commerce and WT split the season series, with the home team winning each game.
 
Semifinal Round
WHO: Texas A&M-Commerce (12-3-3, 8-3-1 LSC) vs. West Texas A&M (8-6-5, 5-3-4 LSC)
WHERE: ASU Soccer Field in San Angelo, Texas
WHEN: Friday, Nov. 3 at 5 p.m.
LIVE STATS: Click HERE
LIVE VIDEO: portal.stretchinternet.com/lonestar/portal.htm?eventId=401177&streamType=video
 
Final Round
WHERE: ASU Soccer Field in San Angelo, Texas
WHEN: Sunday, Nov. 5 at 1 p.m.
LIVE STATS: Click HERE
LIVE VIDEO: portal.stretchinternet.com/lonestar/portal.htm?eventId=401182&streamType=video
 
The Lions are coming off a 2-0-0 weekend on the road. They defeated UT Permian Basin 2-0 on Friday. They then knocked off Angelo State 1-0 in the regular season-finale on Sunday. The Lions are the only team in the LSC to have defeated LSC champion ASU, sweeping the season series. Head coach Neil Piper likes where his team is going into the LSC Tournament.
 
"We finished the season on a four-game winning streak," Piper said. "They weren't all pretty. We had some tough games along the way. But going into the last week of the season, we knew we had to win both games to avoid playing a third game in the tournament. Friday's match was a grind against UT Permian Basin with the weather and the turf. But we got it done. Then Sunday's game against Angelo, we scored early and had a few other chances and held on. That was definitely a tough game."
 
The Lions finished second in the LSC standings, finishing just three points behind ASU. With six freshmen starters on the team, Piper said, at the beginning of the year, he would have taken second place and have been happy with it. After seeing his team's potential, he knows they could have won the league.
 
"Going into the season, I think I would have been happy with it," Piper said of second place. "After playing the season, I'm a little bit disappointed that we didn't finish higher. But at times, we were starting six freshmen and playing eight.  It was a good learning experience for them."
 
The Lions are now primed for the LSC Tournament. As the second seed, the Lions earned a first round bye. They will face West Texas A&M, who had to play a match on Wednesday against Texas Woman's in the first round. Piper knows that the bye is an advantage for his team and he hopes it comes into play in Friday's match.
 
"I think the biggest blessing that we have is we have today off and the other two teams are playing," he said. "At this point in the season, rest is critical. That is our advantage and hopefully we can take advantage of it."
 
The Lions are the seventh seed in the final regular season South Central regional rankings, which includes the Lone Star, Heartland and Rocky Mountain Athletic conferences. With only six teams advancing to the NCAA Regional Tournament, Piper sees only one likely avenue if his team is to achieve its goal of making regionals.
 
"I have a feeling we are going to need to win both games to make regionals," he said. "We are looking forward to this weekend."
 
A win in the LSC Tournament would give A&M-Commerce its fourth consecutive LSC title and its fifth consecutive bid into the NCAA Regional Tournament. The Lions won the LSC tournament in both 2014 and 2015 and were regular season champions in 2014 and 2016. The Lions also advanced to the NCAA Regional Tournament in 2013.
 
The winners of all three conference tournaments in the region automatically make the regional tournament. Three at-large teams will also be selected on Monday by the NCAA to compete.