TEXARKANA, Texas – The Louisiana Christian University men's soccer program is returning to the RRAC Championship Game for the third consecutive season after beating the top-seeded and #19th-ranked LSU Shreveport Pilots in the conference tournament for the second year in-a-row on Tuesday evening, 1-0.
 
The Orange and Blue clad eleven improved to 4-18-3 (22%) all-time versus the top-25 and 3-9-3 (30%) against the NAIA's elite in particular.
 
The Basics:
 

• Score
  • #5 Louisiana Christian – 1
  • #1 LSU Shreveport – 0

 

• Records
  • #5 Louisiana Christian (13-4-3, 9-3-1 Red River)
    • Receiving Votes
  • #1 LSU Shreveport (13-2-4, 11-0-2 Red River)
    • #19

 

• Location
  • Texarkana, Texas – Judy Kelley Morgan Field

  

• Series History
  • Pilots Lead 6-2-1 (27.8%)

 

• Winning Streak
  • Wildcats (W1) | Pilots' Last Win: October 12, 2024 (6-1)

 
Wildcats Top Performers: 
 

• Thiago Lopes made the team's first shot of the match count as the difference maker, smashing an unassisted missile past Kyle McIeish in the 61st minute for his fourth score of the campaign and fifth of his LCU career. 

                           * His game-winning goal was the second of his career, the other coming in a similar 1-0 triumph over (RV) Williams Baptist a year prior. 
 

• Rodrigo Silva continued his legendary postseason run, extending his shutout streak to 200 uninterrupted minutes dating back to a double-overtime shootout victory at #4 TAMUSA thanks to five saves and zero miscues.

 

• Juan Sierra, Lucas Lima, Adrian Amoros Navarro, and Shakeem Walters each contributed to the club's perfect SOG%, placing their one shot apiece on-target.

 
Record Book Watch:
 
Career
 

• Amoros Navarro slid into sole possession of second place on the career matches played leaderboard (76), bumping the sidelined Joao Pedro Giraldez Franco (2021-24) down to third.

 

• Lima moved into a stalemate for ninth regarding shots-on-goal with his 34th, tying Jason Rodriguez (2017-21).

 
Team
 

• Louisiana Christian now has 14.5 wins with ties counting as half-victories, the second-best mark ever.

 

• The goal was their 40th of 2024 and they have accrued 142 SOGs, both also the second-most for the Wildcats while the clean sheet was the defense's eighth.

 
Season
 

• Navarro tied with Oscar Giron (2007) for fourth place on the shots list at 48 on top of third in terms of SOG (29) and Sao Tiago is in a stalemate regarding sixth on that same leaderboard of 46.

 
Next:
  

• Head Coach David Castillo and his men will not be meeting the Pilots in the Championship this go-round, however, they will battle the winner of the #3 seed LSU Alexandria vs. #2 seed Xavier (Louisiana) Semifinal match at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday with an automatic bid to the NAIA Tournament hanging in the balance.

 

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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).