ABILENE – Sophomore
Christina Arteaga scored in the 87th minute Friday night to put an exclamation point on the 2018 regular season for the ACU soccer team. The Wildcats picked up a 1-0 victory over the Cardinals of the University of the Incarnate Word to end the year on a four-game winning streak, taking plenty of momentum with them to the Southland Conference Tournament next Wednesday.
ACU (12-5-1, 7-3-1 Southland) finishes in fifth place in the league standings, and will head to Beaumont, Texas for the first round of the tournament Wednesday, Oct. 31 for a rematch with the four-seed Cowgirls of McNeese. It will be the second quarterfinal match Wednesday, with kickoff set for 2 p.m.
"We are proud of the way this team has competed all season long," said head coach
Casey Wilson. "We look forward to seeing how we respond in the tournament coming up."
Arteaga put the finishing touches on a back-and-forth, defensive affair with just under three minutes left in regulation. It appeared as though a game would head to overtime for the fifth time at Elmer Gray Stadium this season, however, the Wildcats capped a dominant second half with the final say.
Samantha Vestal and
Dylan Owens combined to get Arteaga the ball in the box, and the sophomore took advantage on the left side to send it past UIW goalkeeper Sydney Huntsinger. It was the eighth goal of the season and the fourth in the last three games for Arteaga.
"We didn't come out in the first half as well as we would have liked to," said Wilson. "But we made some good adjustments and really took over in the second half."
The Wildcats owned the final 45 minutes, commanding a 12-3 lead in the shot attempts in that span. ACU tallied 12 shots in the first half as well, but it was a much closer stat at 12-8. Both teams had opportunities in the opening period, but both blacklines played well to keep it scoreless. ACU's best chance came in the 29th minute with back-to-back corner kicks and good looks from
Alyssia Anuat and
Sophie Standifer, but the home team could not capitalize.
Of the 11 shot attempts for UIW, nine were placed on frame. Redshirt junior
Rachel Johnson was spectacular yet again in net, tallying nine saves en route to her Southland-leading eighth shutout of the season. ACU registered its new school-record 12th shutout of the year, and continues to lead the league in several defensive categories.
Arteaga's five shots led the way, while Standifer added four on Senior Night. Owens and Vestal each recorded three as well.
The team honored its six seniors prior to the start of the game. Johnson, Owens, Standifer,
Caity Acosta,
Chelsea Reedy, and
Hannah O'Donnell all were honored before their friends, family, and fans, and capped off their final season with a 7-1-1 home record. The six will meet up in Beaumont to participate in their second Southland Conference Tournament.
The tournament is hosted by Lamar University, with the top eight teams making the cut. Central Arkansas won the league title in the regular season, and owns the number one seed. UCA will meet No. 8 Northwestern State at 12 p.m., with the winner to play either ACU or McNeese on Friday, Nov. 2 in the semifinals.
