COMMERCE– The Texas A&M University-Commerce soccer team will host UT Tyler on Thursday at 4 p.m. in the team's first official match against each other. UT Tyler joined the Lone Star Conference this year, joining NCAA Division II at the beginning of the academic year.
 
WHO: A&M-Commerce (5-3-1, 2-2-0 LSC) vs. UT Tyler (3-5-0, 1-3-0 LSC)
WHEN: Thursday, Oct. 10 at 4 p.m.
WHERE: The Lion Soccer Field in Commerce, Texas
TICKETS: Click HERE
LIVE STATS: Click HERE
LIVE VIDEO: http://lonestarconferencenetwork.com/commerce
 
The Lions are coming off of a split in their games last week on the road. After falling on a last-minute goal to West Texas A&M on Thursday, the Lions bounced back with a 1-0 overtime win over Eastern New Mexico. Head coach Neil Piper felt his team played hard in both games.
 
A split was probably fair," he said. "We didn't play great at times, but we played hard. In the West Texas game, we played well in the first half but they hit us there at the end and took the lead. We scored with about 15 minutes left and I thought we were going to go in and win it but they hit us on a counter and beat us 2-1.
 
"The Eastern game was more of a back and forth type game. I don't think either team really was out in front. To win in overtime on the last leg of our trip was good. That is always our toughest road trip. We are happy with a split."
 
Coach Piper liked what he saw out of Kara Blasingame late in the ENMU match. After getting banged up early in the match, she battled through and was able to beat three defenders in the overtime period to get the game-winning goal.
 
"She had gotten hurt earlier in the game and was battling through that," he said. "And the crowd was giving her the stick. For her to have a great individual effort on that goal to win it, and to shut everybody up, I'm sure it felt great for her."
 
The Lions now face UT Tyler in the school's first official meeting between the two programs. UT Tyler recently joined Division II and the LSC, but had scrimmaged against the Lions in past preseasons. Coach Piper sees a talented opponent coming in that will be a difficult challenge for his team. He knows it will take a team effort to win.
 
"We have scrimmaged them in the past in preseason," he said. "They are a good team. They were always one of the top Division III teams in the area. Watching them on film, I think they are a team that is capable of beating anybody on any given day. They are definitely a team we are preparing for. I think we are familiar with their system. It is just a matter of us executing and taking advantage of being on our home field."
 
Tickets to all Lion home matches are available for purchase at WeAreLionsTix.com, by calling (903) 468-8756 , by visiting the Lion Sales & Service Box Office in the Field House during business hours, or by purchase at the gates of the Lion Soccer Field.