ABILENE - Junior midfielder
Jacey Ferrara scored a pair of goals in leading the Abilene Christian soccer team to a convincing 4-0 victory over Texas Woman's University Sunday afternoon at the Wildcat Soccer Pitch. The win was the Wildcats' third straight and clinched them a berth for next week's Lone Star Conference Championship.
Following a slow start to 2012, ACU (7-9-1, 5-7-1 LSC) now enters the final week of the regular season tied with the Pioneers (6-9-2, 5-7-1 LSC) for fifth place in the Lone Star Conference. The Wildcats play host to Midwestern State in their season finale Friday at 4 p.m., while TWU will face Texas A&M-Commerce at 7:30 p.m. Both the Lions and Eastern New Mexico Zias were today eliminated from the postseason following losses to MSU and Incarnate Word, respectively.
As for the Wildcats, Sunday's triumph was their fifth multi-goal effort of the year and largest margin of victory since beating Texas A&M-International by the same score on Sept. 4, 2011. Ferrara scored her first and second goals of the season in the 16th and 89th minutes,
Krysta Grimm tallied her fourth in the 34 minute, and
Megan Turner headed in her second score in the 83rd.
Three of the four ACU goals were assisted, which doubled its season assist total from three to six.
"We witnessed a great brand of soccer this weekend," head coach
Casey Wilson said, "and it's been real nice to see what we've been working on in practice over the past month come together within the game. We used a lot of people today, all of whom contributed to a good team effort."
ACU's first half goals were the result of flawless combination play within the 18-yard box. On the first goal, Grimm took the ball toward the goal line before dropping a pass back to Ferrara, who then one-timed it to the right side of TWU goalkeeper Lindsey Sisco. Eighteen minutes later it was Grimm's turn to connect as she drilled a pass from
Andrea Carpenter to Sisco's left.
TWU out-shot ACU, 4-3, in the first half, but didn't create any dangerous chances until midway through the second half. But even then, none of the Pioneers could place a decent shot on frame as ACU goalkeeper
Arielle Moncure finished with just one save. Texas Woman's had the ball bouncing around and through the 18-yard box off throw-ins and deflections on several occasions, but luckily for the Wildcats, not once did their opponent come close to making solid contact.
ACU put the match out of reach during the final 10 minutes, scoring off both a free kick and misplayed corner kick. Following a foul called on TWU near midfield, senior
Lexi Stirling floated a kick right into the six-yard box, where
Megan Turner timed her jump perfectly to head in the game's third goal. Then during the final two minutes, after Ferrara's first corner kick attempt had ricocheted off the post, the ball rolled back in her direction and she responded with a sharply hit ground ball that slipped past the defense.
Ferrara's goals were her first since scoring the golden-goal during last year's NCAA Championship match vs. Midwestern State.
Moncure's shutout was her fifth of the season.
ACU finished the match with a 9-8 advantage in shots, and 7-3 in corner kicks.
