BEAUMONT, Texas – It's down to two. The 2018 Southland Conference Tournament culminates with the championship match Sunday, Nov. 4 at 1:05 p.m. at the LU Soccer Complex, and ACU will take part for the first time in program history. The #5 Wildcats (14-5-1) will line up against the #7 Ladyjacks of Stephen F. Austin, with the game to be broadcast on ESPN+. In just its second year of post-season eligibility at the NCAA Division I level, ACU will play for the automatic bid into the NCAA Championships.
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 take on the #7 Ladyjacks, who finished with a 3-5-3 league record (12 points). The winner of Sunday's championship will earn the automatic qualifying bid from the Southland Conference and enter the NCAA Tournament field.
TICKETS… 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.
WATCH… The title game will be broadcast live on ESPN+, available online and on the ESPN app. The easiest way is to start a seven-day free trial, and it will not cost to watch. However, if you already have an ESPN+ subscription, the game will be there available to view. Play-by-play man David Saltzman will be joined by analyst Laura Sadler to bring you the championship match Sunday afternoon.
THE SERIES… Stephen F. Austin leads the all-time series, 4-2-1, but ACU did pick up a win earlier this season. The other Wildcat win in the series came in Oct. 2017, 2-0, at Elmer Gray Stadium. The teams met in last year's post-season, with SFA winning on penalty kicks, 4-2, in the semifinal. The Wildcats have won two of the last three meetings, including a 1-0, double-overtime thriller in Nacogdoches, Texas back on Oct. 21.
THE ROAD TO THE TITLE GAME… ACU eliminated McNeese in the first round of the tournament for the second-straight season Wednesday afternoon, winning 3-1 to advance. Junior
Shay Johnson recorded her second goal of the year in the 17th minute, while
Caity Acosta added her third of the year in the 58th.
Chelsea Reedy put the icing on the cake in the 63rd minute with her first of the season, and the Wildcat defense did its thing once again to preserve the win. The team then stifled the top offense in the country in the #1 Central Arkansas Bears on Friday evening in the semifinal. ACU held the Bears to seven total shots, picking up its 13th shutout of the season. Johnson did her thing once again, scoring in the 75th minute to put the Wildcats on top, and the defense finished it off to advance to its first championship match as a member of the Southland.
REVENGE… Of the six tournament games played so far, four have flipped the script from the regular season. ACU lost to both McNeese and Central Arkansas in the regular year, but came back and won in the tournament to avenge both losses. Stephen F. Austin lost to both Houston Baptist and Lamar in the regular season, but beat both teams in Beaumont in the tournament as well. ACU topped SFA 1-0 on Oct. 21, and will look to sweep the Ladyjacks in 2018.
SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS… The Wildcat defense has continued to keep opposing offenses confused this season. Central Arkansas came in with one of the top scoring offenses in the country, had the Southland Player and Forward of the Year, and only registered seven shot attempts in Friday's semifinal. ACU has recorded 13 shutouts this season, which now equals a Southland Conference regular-season record. They lead the league in goals allowed (10) and goals allowed per game (0.50) as well. The goals against average ranks 11th nationally. Goalkeepers
Rachel Johnson and
Erin Smith have combined for an .905 save percentage, which ranks fourth nationally. ACU's .650 shutout percentage also ranks fourth in the country as well. Johnson leads the Southland with nine shutouts, a 0.43 goals against average, and a .925 save percentage. The goals against ranks fifth in the country, and the save percentage is second-best in all of Division I.
SCOUTING STEPHEN F. AUSTIN… The Ladyjacks (7-8-3) have won three straight matches, dating back to the final game of the regular season against Sam Houston State. SFA topped #2 Houston Baptist, 1-0, in the quarterfinal round before upsetting #3 Lamar in the semifinals, 2-1, to advance to its third-straight Southland Championship match. The current three-game winning streak is the only such streak this season for the team, and the offense is clicking at the right time, scoring eight goals during this span. The Ladyjacks are led by Sophia Fondren and Katelyn Termini, who have each scored four times this season. Maddie Talbot and Allyson Halliday literally split time in net, each playing one half of soccer. The two have combined for 66 saves in 2018.
