ABILENE – The Abilene Christian soccer team remains the No. 2 team in the nation as it enters the regular season's final week with matches vs. Midwestern State and West Texas A&M.
The national poll, released Tuesday by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), has Bridgeport at No. 1 with a 14-0 record followed by ACU (15-0-1), Grand Valley State (15-0-2) and California (Pa.) University (13-0-2).
The Wildcats .969 winning percentage ranks second nationally to the Purple Knights, and following last week's wins at Texas Woman's (W, 2-1) and A&M-Commerce (W, 2-0), ACU now has the 24th best scoring offense (2.44gpg) and 17th ranked defense (0.55 goals-against average).
Individually,
Andrea Carpenter is in a three-way tie for first with seven game-winning goals, and is 21st and 28th, respectively, with 12 goals and 27 points. Goalkeeper
Elliott London claims the nation's seventh best save percentage at .915 and eighth-lowest GAA at .383.
Winners of five of its last six matches, Midwestern State begins the week with an overall record of 10-4-2 and second-place Lone Star Conference mark of 8-3-1, four points ahead of Eastern New Mexico (21). The two schools will face each other in Wichita Falls for Sunday's season finale, but an upset over the Wildcats Friday will clinch MSU the coveted No. 2 seed for next week's Lone Star Conference Championship.
ACU locked up the tournament's top spot and hosting rights last Sunday after beating the Lions for a second time this season. The Wildcats also have defeated the Mustangs two straight times in shutout fashion after losing the first five meetings in the series from 2007 to 2010.
Since losing at ACU on Oct. 5 the Mustangs have rolled over the opposition, including a pair of 5-0 and 4-0 triumphs over West Texas A&M and Texas Woman's. Their lone loss during this span was a 1-0 defeat vs. former conference foe and No. 20 Central Oklahoma.
Kelsey Hill leads the MSU offense with 27 points on nine goals and nine assists, while Mallory Whitworth has been solid between the pipes with a 0.63 GAA, 51 saves and four shutouts.
ACU Sunday's home contest vs. West Texas A&M may also carry some playoff implications as the Lady Buffs look to hold off Incarnate Word for the sixth and final spot for the LSC Championship. The Cardinals trail the Lady Buffs by one point in the standings, after beating them, 2-1, last week, and can possibly move ahead with a victory Friday at Angelo State.
West Texas A&M (7-8-1, 4-7-1) has lost ground in the standings over the last month by losing four of its last six conference matches, during which its been outscored 11-6. Last weekend the Lady Buffs dropped a pair of one-goal matches, first to Angelo State, and then at UIW.
Leslie Briggs and Becky McMullen have paced the West Texas A&M offense this year, combining for 34 of the team's 62 points on 13 goals and eight assists. Yvette Bedoy has played a bulk of the minutes in goal and is 5-7 with one shutout, a 1.64 GAA and 55 saves.
The Wildcats won their first meeting at West Texas A&M earlier this season, 2-0, receiving goals from
Ashley Holton and
Ashley Craig. The defense, meanwhile, held the Lady Buffs to just four second-half shots.
ACU's match with the Lady Buffs is the makeup of an Oct. 9 game that was postponed due to rain. Seniors Holton, London and
Lyndsey Womack will be honored during a pregame ceremony.
