ABILENE – The Abilene Christian women's soccer team plays host to Lone Star Conference rivals Incarnate Word and Angelo State this Friday and Sunday at the Wildcat Soccer Pitch. Kick-off times are set for 5 and 1 p.m.
The Wildcats, unveiled as the nation's No. 12 team earlier this week, are off to an explosive 4-0 start in which they've outscored the opposition, 13-3.
Incarnate Word is 2-0-1 entering the weekend. Angelo State is 1-2.
The Wildcats' fresh ranking – a 12-spot jump from the previous week – has made ACU a bigger target within the conference, but sophomore forward
Andrea Carpenter sees it as beneficial to the fifth-year program.
“For a program so young to be ranked this high is awesome,” she said. “When we found out yesterday at practice, it generated an extra boost of confidence and enthusiasm … and it's going to force us to work harder, knowing our opponents will be trying just as hard to beat us.”
“This is nice recognition for what we've accomplished so far,” added head coach
Casey Wilson. “We played and won four tough games, and with Dallas Baptist winning three straight after losing to us, we earned some power points to get that solid jump in the rankings.”
Carpenter and junior
Krysta Grimm lead ACU with nine points each, while four others, including senior
Ashley Holton, are tied with four. Holton did not disappoint in her return to the ACU starting lineup last week, first contributing a pair of assists at Central Oklahoma, and then scoring one of four goals in the win vs. Truman State.
“Ashley's an important player for us at midfield alongside
Julie Coppedge because of their ability to win balls and distribute,” Wilson said, “so to have them playing together is a huge asset to the team. Ashley is incredibly savvy on the field and is always thinking three to four steps ahead of the opposition.”
The defense also has been influential in the team's success with the back line limiting opponents to 8.0 shots per game, and a combination of four goalkeepers posting a goals-against average of 0.74. Senior
Elliott London has started and played the first half through the first four contests and has come through unscathed with six saves on 12 shots faced.
The remaining three goalkeepers – a group that includes
Arielle Moncure,
Sara Chalmers and
Olivia Engelsman – have combined to make 11 second-half saves while allowing three goals.
Angelo State and Incarnate Word were among the best conference teams in 2010 with the Rambelles tying ACU for second place at 9-2, and the Cardinals placing fourth at 7-4. Of the Rambelles seven losses from a year ago, three were to the Wildcats, who beat them 3-1 during the regular season and then eliminated them from both the Lone Star Conference Tournament and South Central Sub Regional.
Incarnate Word has taken two of three meetings from ACU, and as recently as 2009, was ranked fifth in the nation.
“We go into every conference season knowing it's going to be tough,” Wilson said, “and there is not a single team we can afford to overlook. We have to bring it every game or else risk being shocked.
“Our team's been dialed in the last two weeks, but I still think there's room to get better, and being able to reach our fullest potential is what we're most excited about.”
Live stats for both matches are available through ACUSports.com.
