Texas Tech will face its first road trip of the season when the Red Raiders play in the TCU Invitational this weekend.

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Aug. 23, 2012

LUBBOCK, Texas - After opening the season with back-to-back victories at the John Walker Soccer Complex, the Texas Tech soccer team is set to make its first road trip of the 2012 season.

The Red Raiders will travel to the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex for the TCU Invitational to face both Stephen F. Austin and Montana in two matches across the weekend of action at Garvey-Rosenthal Stadium on the TCU campus. Tech enters the weekend receiving votes in the NSCAA top-25 rankings and will face Stephen F. Austin on Friday at 5 p.m. before squaring off with Montana on Sunday with first kick set for 11 a.m.

"We are excited to get on the road," head coach Tom Stone said. "This team travels well and TCU has a nice field and it is set up nicely for us. There are a bunch of Red Raider fans in the Metroplex that we hope are going to come out and support us. It is nice when you have spent so much time in two-a-days, and then you have your opening weekend under your belt to go out on the road and have a different environment for games three and four."

Friday night will feature a meeting between unbeatens as Stephen F. Austin will also bring an unblemished 2-0 record to Ft. Worth. The Ladyjacks have outscored their opponents 10-0 this season enter the 2012 campaign as reigning Southland Conference Champions.

Meanwhile, Montana enters the tournament with a 1-1 record on the season, and is coming off of an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2011.

Last weekend, the Red Raiders jumped out to a fast start to the 2012 season with a thrilling 2-1 Friday night victory over Idaho. Tech then turned around and shut out New Mexico 2-0 in the first meeting between the regional rivals since 2004. With the back-to-back wins to open the 2012 campaign, the Red Raiders have jumped out to a 2-0 start for the third consecutive season dating back to 2010.

Texas Tech had four separate players score during the opening weekend including two freshmen in Janine Beckie and Alli Murphy. Both Beckie and Murphy added assists to end the productive weekend with three points each in their impressive debuts.

Texas Tech will return home Friday Aug. 31 for a non-conference match with Nevada at the John Walker Soccer Complex.

Texas Tech Notes

Back-to-Back Wins Highlight Opening Weekend
Texas Tech opened the 2012 season with back-to-back victories last weekend with wins over both Idaho and New Mexico. The Red Raiders defeated Idaho 2-1 on Friday night in the season-opener before shutting out 2011 Mountain West Champions New Mexico on Sunday. Texas Tech is off it its third consecutive 2-0 start to a season.

Quick Strike
Freshman forward Janine Beckie scored her first career goal just 57 seconds into the Red Raiders' season-opener against Idaho on Aug. 17. With the goal she became the first Red Raider to score in her debut since Jessica Fuston in 2010. Meanwhile, it marked the quickest goal scored by Tech in a match since the 2008 season when Brittany Harrison scored 12 seconds into a match against Alabama A&M. The goal was the fastest scored by a Tech player at home since 2004 when Ashley Reed scored at the 0:29 mark against Oklahoma State.

Red Raiders Receiving Votes in First NSCAA National Rankings
On the heels of a perfect 2-0 start to the 2012 season, the Texas Tech soccer team is receiving votes in the first NSCAA/Continental Tire Top-25 poll of the season released on Tuesday. Texas Tech is off to its third consecutive 2-0 start to a season after defeating both Idaho and New Mexico at the John Walker Soccer Complex this weekend.

Tech Outscores Opponents 4-1 in Opening Weekend The Red Raiders have been known for their stifling defensive play, recording a school record 10 shutouts during the 2011 campaign, but they also proved they can score when they have to. Tech outscored its opponents 4-1 during the opening weekend of play - which includes a 2-0 shutout of New Mexico on Sunday. Furthermore, the Red Raiders took just four minutes to respond to Idaho's equalizing goal and take a 2-1 lead with Paige Strahan's game-winning goal in the 83rd minute on Friday. The four goals is the highest output by a Tech team after two matches since 2010 when Tech outscored its opponents 5-0 after two games

Fuston Nets 20th Career Goal on Sunday
Texas Tech junior forward Jessica Fuston netted her 20th career goal on Sunday in a 2-0 shutout of New Mexico. The goal came in the 88th minute of play to give the Red Raiders the 2-0 lead and seal the win. With the score, Fuston gained sole possession of fifth in school history for career goals and is one ahead of teammate Dawn Ward with 19

Esson Records Eighth Career Shutout in Sunday's Win
Junior goalkeeper Victoria Esson recorded her eighth career shutout in Sunday's 2-0 shutout of New Mexico. The Christchurch, New Zealand native is now one shutout shy of moving into a tie for fourth in school history with former Red Raider Colleen Pitts (2006-10) with nine.

In her first season at Tech, Esson recorded a remarkable seven shutouts in 17 matches to rank second in school history for a single season behind former Red Raider Stephanie Carr who recorded eight in 1995.