COMMERCE– The Texas A&M University-Commerce soccer team return to action this week. The Lions will face UT Permian Basin in Dallas on Friday before returning home to face Angelo State on Sunday.
 
WHO: Texas A&M-Commerce (3-3-0, 0-2-0 LSC) vs. UT Permian Basin (1-6-0, 0-2-0 LSC)
WHERE: RLC Soccer Fields in Dallas, Texas
WHEN: Friday, Sept. 28 at 4 p.m.
LIVE STATS: Click HERE
 
WHO: Texas A&M-Commerce vs. Angelo State (4-3-1, 2-0-0 LSC)
WHERE: The Lion Soccer Field in Commerce, Texas
WHEN: Sunday, Sept. 30 at 12 p.m.
LIVE STATS: Click HERE
LIVE VIDEO: lionathletics.com/live
TICKETS: Click HERE
 
The Lions are coming off two conference losses last week. Before the matches, the Lions were unable to play due to weather. Coach Neil Piper was encouraged to see his team playing well in spirts in both games, even though the results were not in their favor.
 
"It had been nine days since we had played, and the first half against Eastern New Mexico showed that," Piper said. "But we still had some chances. In the second half we played well and had some chances to tie the game up. It is always tough to play out there. We have played worse and won out there. It is not the end of the world but we would have liked to have won.
 
"Then the West Texas game, I thought we played a pretty good first half. It was a pretty even game. We had a couple calls go against us and we weren't good enough to overcome it and WT pulled away from us. Obviously, we would have liked to win both or even get a split but we got to play and got the players some action."
 
The Lions now prepare to face UT Permian Basin. The Falcons are also looking for their first conference win of the season. Piper sees a talented team and looks for a good match on the neutral field.
 
"They have played a pretty good schedule," Piper said of UTPB. "They are 1-6, but they have played some good teams. They are competitive and gave us two pretty close games last year. They are pretty athletic and good through the middle. It should be a good game."
 
The Lions will then host Angelo State. Piper sees another talented team in ASU and is looking for his team to continue to improve as the week progresses.
 
"Angelo is just a tough opponent for us, year in and year out," he said. "They are big, strong and athletic. We need to get two wins if we want any shot at the conference. I think it is doable but it not going to be easy. But we are just expecting to get better. We have not played our best soccer yet. This will be a good start if we get a couple wins."