ABILENE – After winning its final four matches of the regular season, the ACU soccer team gets set for its second-consecutive trip to the Southland Conference Tournament. The Wildcats (12-5-1, 7-3-1 Southland) will line up against the Cowgirls of McNeese Wednesday afternoon at 2 p.m. in the second quarterfinal game of the day in Beaumont, Texas. After being ineligible for the postseason during their four-year transitional phase to NCAA Division I, the Wildcats have clinched spots in back-to-back conference tournaments. The team has finished among the conference's top-six teams each year as a member of the Southland, which began in 2013.
Interview with Casey Wilson and Michelle Mulrooney
TOURNAMENT INFO… The 2018 Southland Conference Tournament takes place at the LU Soccer Complex, and is hosted by Lamar University. ACU finished as the number-five seed in the tournament, and will be the "visitors" against McNeese, who placed fourth overall due to a head-to-head tiebreaker. Both teams finished with 7-3-1 records in the league, tallying 22 points. The winner of Wednesday's first-round game will take on either #1 Central Arkansas or #8 Northwestern State, who open the tournament at 12 p.m. Wednesday. The semifinals commence on Friday, Nov. 2 at 4 p.m. The Championship match is slated for Sunday, Nov. 4 at 1:05 p.m., with the winner earning an automatic qualifying bid to the NCAA Championship.
TICKETS… Tickets are available for single sessions (11 a.m. / 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. / 8 p.m.) on Wednesday, with adult tickets priced at $10 and children 12 and under at $8. All-tournament passes are available for the entire tournament, and are $25 for adults and $20 for children 12 and under. Sunday's championship tickets are $8 for adults and $6 for children 12 and under. Children under the age of five get in free Sunday. All Southland Conference students get free admission to the tournament, as long as he/she shows his/her ID at the gate in Beaumont.
THE SERIES… McNeese has a slight edge in the all-time series, leading ACU 4-2-1, including a win in Abilene earlier this season. The Cowgirls won the lone regular-season game in 2017, blanking the Wildcats 3-0 in Lake Charles, La. McNeese won the first two games (2013-14), while ACU won the matchups in 2015-16. Four of the seven games in the series have gone to overtime, with all but one being decided by a goal.
WE MEET AGAIN… Included in the all-time series is the only post-season meeting between the two schools. It is déjà vu as the teams will meet in the first round of the Southland Tournament for the second straight year. ACU won in penalty kicks, 5-3, to eliminate the Cowgirls last season. However, McNeese is the higher seed this season due to a 1-0, double-overtime victory at Elmer Gray Stadium on Homecoming Weekend in Abilene on Oct. 12. Havana Johnson scored in the 108th minute to end a hard-fought, evenly-matched game.
ENDING IN STYLE… The Wildcats put an exclamation point on the end of their 2018 regular season last Friday in Abilene. ACU topped Incarnate Word, 1-0, behind the fourth goal in a three-game span by sophomore
Christina Arteaga. The team recognized its six seniors prior to the game, including
Caity Acosta,
Rachel Johnson,
Hannah O'Donnell,
Dylan Owens,
Chelsea Reedy, and
Sophie Standifer. ACU capped the regular season on a four-game winning streak; only Central Arkansas has a higher streak (9) heading into the post-season.
ACU'S DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE… The Wildcat defense has been nothing short of spectacular in 2018. ACU has recorded 12 shutouts this season, setting a new single-season program record (Division I and II). The team allowed 11 shot attempts in the win over UIW, and nine were saved by redshirt-junior goalkeeper
Rachel Johnson. ACU leads the Southland Conference in goals allowed (9), goals allowed per game (0.50), goals against average (0.48), and shutouts (12). Johnson and
Erin Smith have combined for an .905 save percentage, which ranks seventh nationally. ACU's .750 shutout percentage ranks ninth in the country as well. Johnson leads the Southland with eight shutouts, a 0.42 goals against average and a .923 save percentage.
SCOUTING McNEESE… The Cowgirls (13-6-1, 7-3-1 Southland) won four of their final five matches of the regular season, including a 1-0 win over Lamar in the regular-season finale in Lake Charles, La. McNeese stayed a spot ahead of ACU in the process, and will play in its fourth consecutive Southland Tournament. The Cowgirls are led by Havana Johnson's seven goals, while teammate Morgan Middleton is one behind with six. Overall, 12 different players have scored a goal, pacing a team that ranks fifth in scoring in the league (35 goals). Emma Roccaforte is 8-5-1 in net this season with six shutouts and 75 saves.
