Soccer's spring season starts this weekend

ABILENE – The Wildcat soccer team got to play just five games last fall, and now the spring season is finally here. The spring begins this weekend on the road at West Texas A&M on Friday, Feb. 5 and at Lubbock Christian on Sunday, Feb. 7. ACU (2-2-1) will play a 17-game spring slate that includes six non-conference matches and 11 games in Southland Conference play. Friday's match against former D2 rival WT kicks off at 6 p.m., while Sunday's match against the Lone Star's LCU gets underway at 2 p.m.

FOLLOW FRIDAY'S MATCH at WEST TEXAS A&M

FOLLOW SUNDAY'S MATCH AT LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN

ACU STORYLINES

• 2-2-1 IN THE FALL: ACU played five times in September and early October 2020, and finished 2-2-1. The wins came at Texas State in overtime (3-2) and at home against Angelo State (1-0). ACU tied SFA in Nacogdoches in a non-conference match, and fell to Louisiana and Louisiana Tech.
• CLIMBING THE RECORD BOOKS: Senior Christina Arteaga ranks second in ACU's history in career points with 73, career goals with 30, and career shots on goal with 125. Arteaga is No. 1 in Wildcat history in career shot attempts with 265, and will add on to that number this spring.
• CLOSING IN: Head coach Casey Wilson is in the midst of his 14th season as the leader of the 'Cats, and is three wins away from 150. Wilson sits at 147-94-22 in his tenure as the only coach in program history.
• RETURNERS: ACU brings back goalkeeper Erin Smith, forwards Arteaga, Caylen Wright, Jordan Michie, defenders Isa Sanabria, Alyssia Anuat, Emily Heidman, Natalie Wodka, and midfielders Megan Paul, Brittney Harris, Ashley Stamps, and Natalie Jones with significant minutes on the pitch. It's an experienced group for Coach Wilson.
• SECOND: ACU was picked to finish second in the Southland Conference pre-season poll, behind reigning champion Lamar.
• PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE: Arteaga and Jones were picked on the pre-season first team after earning first team honors last season. Anuat and Wright are on the preseason second team; Anuat finished on the third team a year ago while Wright earned second team honors.

SERIES HISTORY

vs. WEST TEXAS A&M

ACU trails the all-time series, 4-3-1 against WT, but will play the Lady Buffs for the first time since 2012. ACU lost twice to WT in 2012, but will get to match up with their former rivals for the first time since going Division I in 2013.

vs. LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN

ACU will match up with LCU for the first time on Sunday.

SCOUTING WEST TEXAS A&M

• The Lady Buffs of West Texas A&M were picked to finish fourth in the Lone Star Conference.
• All-American Hannah Kelley-Lusk was tabbed as the league's preseason offensive player of the year for the second consecutive year. Through 43 career games, the Farmington, N.M. native has scored 22 goals and 12 assists for 56 points. She has also scored 10 game-winners, the third-most in program history. 
• In 2019, Kelley-Lusk earned First Team All-LSC and D2CCA All-South Central Region honors after scoring 10 goals and five assists for 25 points as a junior. She was named the LSC Player and Forward of the Year after leading the Lady Buffs to a conference title and NCAA South Central Regional Championship. 

SCOUTING LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN

• The Lady Chaps were picked to finish third in this year's Lone Star Conference preseason poll.
• Hannah Wise was named the conference Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year.
• This will be the second season for the Lady Chaps to compete in the Lone Star Conference after a highly successful 2019 season that saw them finish third in the league with a 10-2-1 conference record. There are 13 teams competing in the LSC this year, after Eastern New Mexico dropped out due COVID-19 policies.