THE RUNDOWN
DBU (6-6-4, 5-3 LSC) punched its ticket to the Lone Star Conference Tournament with a 3-0 win over Lubbock Christian on Wednesday. A first-half goal from Gavyn Rosales and two scores in the final 11 minutes from Jonathan Leach and Nathan Hayes put the Chaps (7-7-3, 4-3-1 LSC) away in a monumental game at Patriot Field. The 2022 Patriots now become the first team in school history to qualify for the conference tournament after winning a program-record six games at home. 

A DBU team that's played its best soccer in recent weeks turned in another complete performance against the Chaparrals. The Patriots outshot the visiting team 20-12 and received a two-assist performance from Ethan Unger, while a brilliant shift from Alexander Knepper (7 saves) secured the clean sheet. 

The match got off to a slow start, with the first real offensive opportunity not coming until the 41st minute. Hunting for his 11th goal of the year, Peyton Voelker rifled a shot at LCU goalkeeper Tom Miles. The attempt fired off the cleat of Miles and onto the foot of an opportunistic Gavyn Rosales, who punched it into the back of the net for the 1-0 lead. 

The score remained 1-0 in favor of DBU for most of the second half. The Patriots held the Chaps to two corner kicks in the final frame and seemed ready to win the game with defense before a late offensive surge gave them room to breathe. In the 79th minute, Ethan Unger launched a well-executed corner kick that was headed home by Jonathan Leach. Nathan Hayes then threaded the needle for the 3-0 goal eight minutes later, firing off a shot from a crack in the LCU backline on a pass from Unger.   

THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- DBU moves into second place in the conference standings with 15 points. A win on Saturday at UT Tyler would clinch the two seed in the upcoming LSC Tournament.
- With one game left in the regular season, the Patriots boast a program-best .625 conference win percentage.  
- DBU has won two of its last three versus LCU.

COACH JESS JOBE ON THE WIN 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS 
1 - Jonathan Leach and Nathan Hayes scored their first goals of the season. 
6 - Ethan Unger now ranks second in the LSC with six assists. 
71 - Alexander Knepper's 71 saves are the second-most in the league. 

UP NEXT
DBU hits the road to face UT Tyler on Saturday, October 29. Kickoff is slated for 7:00 p.m.