CONWAY, Ark. – The ACU soccer team (12-4-2, 8-2-1 SLC) gets set for its third consecutive Southland Conference Tournament, and for the third straight year it will face the McNeese Cowgirls in the first round. The No. 3 seed Wildcats meet the No. 6 seed Cowgirls on Wednesday at 2 p.m. at the Bill Stephens Complex hosted by the University of Central Arkansas.
FOLLOW THE GAME
- Quarterfinals: #3 ACU vs. #6 McNeese (Wednesday, Nov. 6 – 2 p.m.) – Live Stats, Live Video
- The game will be shown on the Southland Digital Network.
THE BRACKET
- The winner of the Wildcats/Cowgirls quarterfinal matchup moves on to the semifinal round against either #2 Northwestern State or #7 Sam Houston State, who play just before ACU takes the field on Wednesday. The semifinals are Friday, Nov. 8 at 4 p.m., with the championship game slated for Sunday, Nov. 10 at 1:05 p.m. The title game will air on ESPN+.
SERIES HISTORY
- ACU and McNeese will meet for the second time in just 18 days on Wednesday. The Wildcats went to Lake Charles, La. and beat the Cowgirls 3-0 to secure their spot in the conference tournament at the time. ACU and McNeese are tied in the all-time series, 4-4-1, and continue to meet in the conference tournament. Wednesday marks the third consecutive year the two schools match up in the postseason; McNeese won in penalty kicks in 2017, while ACU won 3-1 last season.
ACU STORYLINES
- The Wildcats play in their third consecutive Southland Conference Tournament tomorrow. 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 is on a four-game winning streak with victories over McNeese, SFA, Sam Houston State, and UIW. ACU won those four games by a combined score of 8-2, including three shutouts.
- Eight Wildcats were named all-conference on Monday, including
Shay Johnson being named the Midfielder of the Year, and
Natalie Jones being named ACU's fourth consecutive Freshman of the Year.
- First teamers include Jones and Johnson, along with
Christina Arteaga and
Michelle Mulrooney. Freshman
Caylen Wright was named to the second team, while
Alyssia Anuat,
Rachel Johnson, and
Brooke Lenz were named to the third team.
SCOUTING #6 McNEESE (10-8, 6-5 SLC)
- McNeese will be making their fourth straight and 15th overall appearance in the postseason tournament.
- The Cowgirls got off to a hot start at 9-3, with two of those losses from the SEC's Arkansas and LSU. Within the strong start, the Pokes set a new school record by winning seven straight games.
- Injuries late in the season have played a big factor in the Cowgirls dropping five of their last six games to end the regular season.
