ABILENE, Texas – The 2013 Abilene Christian soccer season reaches its end this weekend when the Wildcats visit Lamar (Friday at 7 p.m.) and McNeese State (Sunday at 2 p.m.) for a pair of Southland Conference clashes. Live stats and video will be made available for each match.
Entering this week with an overall record of 13-3-1 and tied for second place in the Southland with 21 points, ACU's first year as a NCAA Division I member feels like it's ending way too soon. The Wildcats' 13 wins tie them with first-place Stephen F. Austin for most in the conference and it would be awesome to see them in a neutral-site rematch with the Ladyjacks at the Southland Conference Tournament if that were allowed.
It also would be awesome to see the Wildcats qualify for the NCAA Championship and see them paired up against a Big 12 school in the first-round – but that can't happen for a few more years – or even see senior
Andrea Carpenter's name listed among the national leaders to help boost her profile for all-region or all-America awards.
If the NCAA were counting ACU's stats from this season, Carpenter would be tied for 15th in total goals with 12 and total points with 30, and the team would be ranked among the top 50 in save percentage (0.831) and 21st in winning percentage (.794). Undefeated and top-ranked Virginia leads the country with 16 wins and Denver has 14, but the Wildcats are right behind the Pioneers with 13 victories as are a long list of notables, including UCLA, Florida State, Virginia Tech and North Carolina.
Comparing win totals isn't meant to suggest that ACU is in the same league as some of these more-established schools, but for a program that floundered through much of its final year in Division II (2012), this year's DI turnaround has been nothing short of remarkable and should be recognized as such. And win, lose or split this weekend, it's encouraging to know that ACU is guaranteed nothing worse than a fourth-place finish of 7-5 in a competitive 13-team league.
It's also important to recall that ACU was picked to finish tied for 10th in the Southland Conference coaches preseason poll with Nicholls, and 11th in the SID poll ahead of only Nicholls and first-year program Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
Lamar, which was a preseason favorite with several first-place votes, has struggled at times this fall and will begin the week at 6-9-1 overall and 3-5-1 against the league. With 10 points, the Cardinals need a few wins this weekend and next in order to secure a spot among the top-six and qualify for the Southland's postseason tournament.
McNeese State, however, has already been eliminated following its 0-8 start against the Southland. The Cowgirls are 5-10-1 overall, but have not won since a 4-2 victory vs. Louisiana Tech on Sept. 8. They've also been shutout in nine of their last 10 matches, with their only goal coming in a 2-1 double-overtime loss at Northwestern State on Oct. 13.
Lamar extended the Cowgirls' winless streak to 10 last Friday following its 2-0 victory in Lake Charles, La., for which the Cardinals' Jennifer Moore was named the Southland's Defensive Player of the Week. The midfielder from London, England, headed in a game-winning corner kick and helped her defense hold McNeese to just 13 shots.
ACU's Carpenter on Tuesday became the first Wildcat to receive Offensive Player of the Week honors after playing a role in four of the Wildcats' five goals last weekend at home. In Friday's match against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Carpenter scored the match's first goal before assisting on
Emily Sumrall's game-winner in the Wildcats' 2-1 win. And then in Sunday's 3-1 triumph over Incarnate Word, Carpenter scored twice in the first half to increase her league-leading point total to 30 on the season. Her goals were the 54th and 55th of her decorated career.
The Wildcats' defense surrendered two second-half goals last weekend, which lifted its season GAA to 0.81, ranking it third within the conference behind SFA (0.42) and Southeastern Louisiana (0.48).
ACU's freshmen goalkeepers
Sydney Newton and
Kelsey Dombrowski each have allowed seven goals this fall, and both are ranked among the top-10 conference leaders in GAA. Dombrowski is 8-2 with a fourth-ranked 0.74 GAA this year, while Newton is 5-1-1 with a seventh-ranked 0.89 GAA. This tandem also has combined for seven shutouts and 69 saves.
Kimmy Albeno, who has 18 points on eight goals and two assists, leads Lamar on offense, while goalkeeper Bailey Fontenot has come away with three shutouts and 5.57 saves per match.
McNeese State goalkeeper Lauren Sestak has appeared in nine matches and owns the league's ninth-lowest GAA at 1.25.
