ABILENE – Brooke Lenz and
Michelle Mulrooney scored their first goals of the season,
Caity Acosta added her second of the year, and the ACU soccer team picked up a convincing 3-0 win over the Cardinals of Lamar University. The Wildcats (9-5-1, 4-3-1 Southland) capped Homecoming Weekend in convincing style with their ninth shutout of 2018, and handed the Cardinals (9-4-2, 5-1-2 Southland) their first loss since Sept. 4.
Lamar entered Sunday's match at Elmer Gray Stadium as one of two unbeatens in league play this season. ACU was staring at back-to-back games with no goals scored, and were looking to mix it up offensively. They did just that.
It only took five minutes for the Wildcats to get going, and it began with a corner kick.
Dylan Owens sent a perfect ball from the left corner, and
Shay Johnson was able to just get her foot on it. It deflected right to
Brooke Lenz, who sent it through the net for her first of the season. ACU began to keep the ball on the Lamar side of the field, and it showed on the scoreboard in the first half.
In the 16th minute, Lamar gave ACU a chance with a foul just outside the box. The Wildcats sent
Michelle Mulrooney to take the kick, and off the set piece the junior placed a perfect ball through the back of the net for her first score of the year as well. Mulrooney had taken just one shot all season coming into Sunday, and attempted a pair in the match, connecting on the free kick.
The offensive domination continued in the 23rd minute when
Caity Acosta joined the scoring party. Johnson looked to send a pass to Acosta, but it deflected off a Cardinal. The senior corralled the ball, let it go off her foot, and scored the third goal of the half for the Wildcats. The three goals in the first period tie a season-best for the team, matching their effort against New Mexico State back on Sept. 2.
The shot attempts were fairly similar in the first 45 minutes, with ACU leading 8-6. But the home team was extremely efficient, scoring on 37% of their attempts in the opening half. ACU took advantage of their only corner kick, while the Cardinals could not capitalize on four corner attempts. The Wildcat defense was steady the entire game, and it started from opening touch.
Sophomore
Erin Smith got the nod in net, and only faced one shot on frame the entire afternoon. The ACU defense held Lamar to 10 shot attempts, but only one was on frame. Smith recorded the one save, and improved to 4-2 on the season with her third shutout.
The second half featured a 9-4 lead in shots for the Wildcats, but it was the defense that continued to dominate in the final 45 minutes. Lamar had very few chances to get back into the game, and ACU put the finishing touches on the match, allowing just three Cardinal shot attempts in the final 15 minutes.
Of the 17 shot attempts,
Shay Johnson led with three, while Mulrooney,
Christina Arteaga,
Megan Paul, and
Samantha Vestal each added two. Johnson tallied two assists, her first two of the season in that category.
The Wildcats will head back on the road for two matches next weekend before closing the regular season at home on Friday, Oct. 26. ACU heads to Huntsville, Texas for a date with the Bearkats of Sam Houston State on Friday, Oct. 19 at 6:30 p.m. The weekend culminates in Nacogdoches, Texas for a matchup with the Lumberjanes of Stephen F. Austin at 1 p.m. Senior Night on Oct. 26 against Incarnate Ward is slated for 7 p.m. to cap the regular season.
