ABILENE – Welcome back, soccer. The 2020 season, once uncertain, is starting to feel like normal again. The 14th season for Abilene Christian, all under head coach
Casey Wilson, gets underway this weekend on the road in south central Louisiana and eastern Texas. ACU travels to Lafayette to battle the University of Louisiana before heading to Nacogdoches, Texas to take on Stephen F. Austin. Friday night's season opener can be viewed on ESPN+ at 7 p.m.
FOLLOW THE GAMES
- ACU at Louisiana: Friday, Sept. 4 – 7 p.m. (
Live Stats,
Watch on ESPN+)
- ACU at SFA: Sunday, Sept. 6 – 1 p.m. (
Live Stats)
SERIES HISTORIES
- The Wildcats will line up against the Ragin' Cajuns for the first time in program history. Louisiana (formerly UL-Lafayette) resides in the Sun Belt Conference.
- ACU and SFA are tied all-time, 4-4-1, but after the Ladyjacks won the first four in the series, it was all ACU. The Wildcats won in Abilene in 2017, but SFA defeated ACU in penalty kicks in the Southland Conference Tournament later that season. In 2018, the Wildcats swept SFA with a 1-0 win in Nacogdoches, Texas in double overtime, and earned a 3-1 win in the Southland Tournament. ACU won 1-0 in double overtime at home last season on a goal by
Shay Johnson. ACU has a five-match unbeaten streak in the series.
HOW WE GOT HERE
- The Southland Conference announced in early August the soccer season would be postponed to the spring. The league also stated that schools were allowed to choose to participate in limited fall competition. ACU decided to do so, and currently has four games scheduled.
- Louisiana, a member of the Sun Belt, has not had its schedule affected by COVID-19. They will play a full schedule in 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sun Belt has split the teams split into East and West Divisions with teams playing home-and-home against divisional opponents. Louisiana resides in the west.
- SFA chose to do the same as ACU, and the two teams will play in a non-conference game Sunday afternoon.
FAMILIAR FACE
- Former Wildcat assistant coach Stephen Salas currently serves as the assistant at Louisiana. Salas spent six seasons at ACU as the associate head coach, and is in year two in Lafayette.
ACU STORYLINES
- The Wildcats return a remarkable 27 players, including 14 with significant playing experience.
- Four all-conference players are back: first teamers
Christina Arteaga and
Natalie Jones (the reigning Southland Conference Freshman of the Year), second teamer
Caylen Wright, and third teamer
Alyssia Anuat.
-
Christina Arteaga has remarkable numbers heading into her unique senior season: 71 points, 29 goals, 9 game-winners, 12 assists, 237 shot attempts, and 114 shots on goal. All rank in the top three in ACU history.
- New assistant coach
Natalie Rigney joins the ACU staff after coming over from McMurry University in Abilene. Rigney joins 14th-year head coach
Casey Wilson, second-year associate head coach
Neal Ozmun, and fourth-year volunteer assistant
Aleah Dillard.
- ACU finished 12-5-2 in 2019, and fell short in the first round of the Southland Conference Tournament in Conway, Ark.
SCOUTING LOUISIANA
- The Ragin' Cajuns return 15 letterwinners, posted a historic 9-8-3 record in 2019, and open the season with nine of its first 11 matches at home in Lafayette.
- Louisiana enters the second year under head coach Lance Key and former Wildcat assistant Stephen Salas.
- The team made a run to the semifinals at the Sun Belt Tournament a season ago, the first-ever appearance in that round in school history.
SCOUTING SFA
- The Ladyjacks (8-11, 5-6 SLC in 2019) open at Texas State on Friday, Sept. 4 before hosting ACU Sunday.
- SFA is now under the direction of first year head coach Tony Minatta, who left for Nacogdoches after six years as the head coach at Iowa State.
