ABILENE – The Wildcat soccer team (11-4-2, 7-2-1 SLC) takes its three-game winning streak into the regular season finale on Friday night to take on the UIW Cardinals in San Antonio. ACU is playing for seeding heading into the conference tournament, which begins on Wednesday, Nov. 6 in Conway, Ark. UIW (8-9, 7-3 SLC) is also playing for positioning heading into the post-season. The game kicks off at 7:30 p.m.
FOLLOW THE GAME
- ACU at UIW: Friday, Nov. 1 – 7:30 p.m. (
Live Stats,
Live Video)
TOURNAMENT SEEDING
- The game is significant for the Wildcats. ACU is tied with Northwestern State currently for second place in the league. Here's the scenarios:
- The Wildcats are the No. 2 seed IF:
- ACU wins/ties AND Northwestern State loses
- The Wildcats are the No. 3 seed IF:
- ACU loses AND Northwestern State wins
- BOTH ACU AND Northwestern State win/tie
- The Wildcats are the No. 4 seed IF:
- ACU loses AND Northwestern State loses
- Note: Northwestern State holds the tiebreaker between the teams, due to its win over Lamar.
SERIES HISTORY
- ACU leads the all-time series 8-3-2 and have played one another every season since 2008. The two teams were in the Lone Star Conference in NCAA Division II and both made the jump to the Southland Conference and NCAA Division I in 2013. The Wildcats have not lost to the Cardinals since 2012, the final year as a D2 member. ACU is 6-0-1 since Oct. 2012 against UIW, and have outscored the Cards 16-5 in that span. ACU won 1-0 in Abilene last season.
ACU STORYLINES
- The Wildcats will play in their third consecutive Southland Conference Tournament next week. ACU has earned a spot in the tournament every season it has been eligible; the team could not play in the postseason from 2013-16 due to NCAA transitional ban rules.
- ACU swept the weekend in style with a pair of 1-0 shutout wins over SFA and Sam Houston State. It took double overtime on a cold Friday night, but
Shay Johnson's goal in the 104th minute did the trick, and it was an absolute treat of a goal by
Christina Arteaga on Sunday to top the Bearkats in regulation.
- Sunday's win capped a 6-0-2 season at Elmer Gray Stadium, the first undefeated home slate in program history. ACU finished 7-1-1 in 2018, 6-1 in 2013, 10-1-1 in 2011, and 8-1-1 in 2009. The team is 13-1-3 in its last 17 home games.
- Redshirt senior goalkeeper
Rachel Johnson became the program's all-time leader in career shutouts with 14 Sunday afternoon. It was the fifth of the season for the Coppell native, and the third consecutive. Johnson earned Southland Goalkeeper of the Week honors after posting 14 saves in two games.
- Sophomore
Alyssia Anuat earned Southland Defender of the Week after guiding a defense that is playing incredibly well right now. The team pitched a pair of shutouts, and Anuat cleared multiple balls in the two games. The San Diego, Calif. native was a big part of a defense that allowed 22 total shots, including 14 on frame, and earned its sixth shutout of 2019.
-
Christina Arteaga ranks fourth in the Southland with 11 goals so far, setting a new single-season high. The Pflugerville native has scored a goal in six of her last seven games, the best stretch of her career.
- Senior
Shay Johnson moved into sixth place all-time in career minutes played with 6,075, while fellow senior
Brooke Lenz moved into eighth in program history in total minutes played in a career with 5,706.
-
Natalie Jones and
Caylen Wright are making quite the impact as rookies. Jones is second on the team and ranks sixth in the league with seven goals and fourth with six assists. Wright's six goals rank third on the team; the Joshua, Texas native has scored a goal in five of her last eight games.
- The Southland Conference Tournament begins Wednesday, Nov. 6 with the first round, while the semifinals take place on Friday, Nov. 8. The championship match is slated for Sunday, Nov. 10. The tournament takes place in Conway, Ark.
SCOUTING UIW (8-9, 7-3 SLC)
- The Cardinals played a pair of double overtime games this past weekend, topping Sam Houston State 3-2 and falling to SFA 1-0.
- UIW can still move up to the number two seed with a win and a loss by Northwestern State.
- Keeley Ayala by far leads UIW in scoring; her 12 goals rank third in the league and 21st nationally.
- Brooke Hanson's seven assists lead the team.
- Cailey Croson has recorded 70 saves on the season in 1,462 minutes in net.
