TEXARKANA, Texas – The Louisiana Christian University men's soccer program is headed back to the Red River Athletic Conference Championship Game for the second season in-a-row and in doing so, has earned a spot in the NAIA Tournament for the first time in school history after defeating the #3 seed Xavier (Louisiana) Gold Rush in the RRAC Semifinals on Thursday evening in a 2-0 shutout.

The Basics:
 

• Score
  • #2 Louisiana Christian – 2
  • #3 Xavier (Louisiana) – 0

 

• Records
  • #2 Louisiana Christian (12-3-4, 9-1-3 Red River)
  • #3 Xavier-Louisiana (11-4-2, 9-2-2 Red River)

 

• Location
  • Texarkana, Texas – Judy Kelley Morgan Field

 

• Series History
  • Louisiana Christian Leads 1-0-1 (75%)

 

• Winning Streak
  • Louisiana Christian (W1) | Xavier (Louisiana)'s Last Win: N/A

 
Wildcats Top Performers:
 

• Shakeem Walters recorded the game-winning goal about halfway through the opening half of play, scorching one of his two on-target shots of the evening through the rainy Texas night and into the net to give him nine for the campaign during the 27th minute.

 

• Approximately ten minutes after Walters put the Cats on the scoreboard, Adrian Amoros Navarro got fouled inside the box and delivered the knockout blow, a penalty kick laser past Xavier's Francisco Pinochet to give the men from Pineville a multi-score advantage at the 36:43 mark.

 

• Rodrigo Silva made the big plays when his number was called, pitching a complete game shutout on the back of four saves to discourage any comeback attempts from ever gaining any traction.

 

• Sergio Pita Martin had the fourth and final shot-on-goal while Pablo Negro and Pedro Rivera each logged a shot that missed the target.

 
Notes:
 

• The Orange and Blue have now reached double-digits for shutouts in 2023 with their tenth clean sheet of the season and has yet to cede a single goal to the Gold Rush in either meeting.

 

• XULA limited LCU to only seven total shots, one less than their season low (6), and took seven more corners than the Cats, but it did not matter as the two scores were all that mattered in the end.

 
Next:
 

• Next on the agenda for the Wildcats is winning their first conference tournament championship match, which it has a chance to do on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. if it can knock off its old nemesis, the top-seeded LSU Shreveport Pilots.

 
Follow the men's soccer program on Facebook (@LCUMSOC), Twitter/X (@LCU_MSOC) and Instagram (@LCU.MSOC).
 
Follow the Wildcats on Facebook (@LCUAthletics), Twitter/X (@LCU_Wildcats) and Instagram (@LCU_Wildcats).