ABILENE – All healed from a torn ACL that wiped out her 2010 senior campaign Lyndsey Womack is ready to return to the Wildcat Soccer Pitch Thursday night at 5 p.m. when the Abilene Christian women's soccer team begins their season against regional rival Dallas Baptist.
The Wildcats have faced the Patriots every year of their existence and lead the all-time series 3-1. Sunday, ACU concludes its season-opening homestand against Texas A&M-International at 1 p.m.
Fifth-year head coach Casey Wilson is expecting a pair of tough battles from the Heartland Conference duo.
“Dallas Baptist always plays us tough and once again they're stocked with talent,” he said, adding, “We have to make sure we're ready to play all 90 minutes because the last time we faced them they scored within the first three minutes.
“International is going to give us a rough game too, they're scrappy. Soccer can be a funny game sometimes so we have to remember not to overlook any single opponent.”
For Womack, whose comeback has been more than a year in the making, she's anxious to play against any opponent in a game that counts.
“I'm excited for the real games to start,” she said. “It's going to be fun competing and winning with this team. We're encouraging of one another, love our home field and fans, and we want to see this season keep going for as long as it can. I'm determined to make every half of every game count since this is my last season, and I know it's going to go by quickly.”
The last time the Longview, Texas, native donned the Purple and White in an official game was at the end of the 2009 season, scoring the Wildcats' lone goal in a 2-1 Lone Star Conference Tournament overtime loss to Midwestern State. Womack's score gave her a share of the team lead in points (12) and goals (5) as she made first team all-conference.
The following offseason Womack dedicated herself to producing a memorable final year alongside four classmates who'd been with her since the program's inception. But those plans were permanently derailed in April of 2010 after popping her ACL during the Hardin-Simmons 77 Tournament, an exhausting day-long event comprised of short-sided 7-on-7 contests.
“I planted my foot and cut, heard it pop and fell down. There was no contact,” recalled Womack.
Eerily, Womack's tear took place in the third game, almost to the exact day and hour when ACU lost Anastasia Nelson to a similar injury during the 2009 tournament.
“It's never good to lose a key player in the spring, especially when you know they can't play in the fall,” said Wilson, “But we dealt with the blow, which was tough, and we're now making the best of the situation.
“I also think it's great Lyndsey decided to come back for one more year … She stepped forward on day one of the program and has been our leader ever since, for which we're quite fortunate. Lyndsey's a fun and positive person with a good personality.”
But during that one year of sitting on the sideline Womack's positive nature was tested. Without being able to play or practice Womack feared she might lose some of her skill set and not be able to perform at the level she had before. It was also hard for her to feel part of the team's success as they posted a 17-3-1 record on the field.
Womack never felt alone, though, and thanks to the tremendous support shown by her coaches, teammates, and athletic trainers, she can say she's a better player now than before the injury.
“I've been getting my confidence back with each passing day … I'm determined to be in better shape and no longer give into my knee,” she said. “I also learned a lot more about the game just from watching, although I still knew it was going to take a lot of hard work to get back to where I was, because it wasn't going to come back on its own. I have a great support system here in Abilene, and I believe God and my team helped me get to where I am today.”
When Womack last exited the field she was a forward, but now she's in the process of reinventing herself as an offensive-minded defender, someone capable of playing either as a stopper or midfield sweeper. Coach Wilson has been experimenting with her on the defense the previous two weeks of camp, trying to find where she fits best, since it's no longer a question of if she'll play, but where.
Playing defense suits Womack just fine even though it doesn't appear she'll hesitate attacking the net and continuing her climb up the ACU record books. She currently ranks fourth all time on ACU's points scored list with 36, and was tied for the program's lead with 17 goals when the injury occurred.
“I'm pretty defensive minded, but I like to push up and play offensively, she said. “I've been working hard at the sweeper and stopper and midfield positions, and I've loved playing each of them. In our two 11-v-11 games this summer I've worked as hard as I've could to impress the coaches and I feel I can contribute as a starter.”
The Wildcats have bettered their win-loss record during their short history every year since 2007, going from eight wins in their inaugural season to nine in 2008, followed by 10 in 2009, before posting 17 in 2010, which resulted in their first conference tournament title and NCAA postseason berth.
That historic season also produced four first-team all-conference selections, including LSC Freshman and Offensive Player of the Year Andrea Carpenter, who rewrote the school's record books behind an awesome effort of 46 points and 21 goals.
Now as the Wildcats face an almost impossible task of duplicating last year's success and improving on those 17 wins, the next logical step for ACU is to challenge for and win the national championship, which Womack believes her team is ready to accomplish.
“We have enough talent here to win a national championship on top of the conference regular season and tournament,” she said. “I feel if you win every half, then you'll win every game … and as long as we remained focused on the little things then we can absolutely win it all.”
ACU Women's Soccer
Wildcat Soccer Pitch, Abilene, Texas
Thursday, Sept. 1
5 p.m. vs. Dallas Baptist (2010 record: 12-11-1; ACU leads series 3-1)
Sunday, Sept. 4
1 p.m. vs. Texas A&M-International (4-12; first meeting between schools)
