ACU and Sam Houston collide Thursday in semis

BEAUMONT, Texas – After a 3-0 drubbing of UIW in the opening round, the ACU soccer team finds itself in the Southland Conference Tournament semifinals for the second time in program history, and the No. 3 seed Wildcats will meet up in the No. 7 seed Sam Houston Bearkats Thursday, April 15 with a berth in the championship game on the line. ACU (12-5-2) and Sam Houston will kick at 7 p.m. at the LU Soccer Complex, and the game can be seen on ESPN+. It is the second semifinal game of the day, with the other pitting No. 1 SFA against No. 5 Southeastern Louisiana at 4 p.m.

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SERIES HISTORY

ACU leads the all-time series with the Bearkats 6-1-1, and have won three in a row in the series. ACU topped Sam, 2-0, behind a pair of Natalie Jones goals back on March 16 in Huntsville on a rescheduled game that was played on a Monday. The Wildcats won a 1-0 game last season in Abilene, and defeated SHSU 3-0 in Huntsville in 2018. This is the first postseason meeting between the teams.

ACU STORYLINES

• FIRST ROUND DOMINATION: ACU's streak without a loss is now at eight after the 3-0 win in the first round against UIW Tuesday night. Jones scored two times, Caylen Wright added another, and the defense was outstanding, posting its ninth shutout of the year. The No. 3 seed Wildcats cruised to a victory despite a very even game in the stat sheet (16-14 ACU in shots, 4-4 in corners, 7-7 in fouls).
• ALL CONFERENCE: Five Wildcats earned post-season honors Monday, as announced by the league. Christina Arteaga was named to the SLC First Team for the fourth straight year, while Natalie Jones and Megan Paul earned second team honors. Ellen Joss and Gabby Symmank were named to the third team as well.
• MORE HISTORY: Senior Christina Arteaga has climbed the record books over the course of her career, and did so again Tuesday night. Arteaga took three shot attempts against UIW, and that moved her into the top spot in the history of the Southland Conference in career shot attempts (310).
• JONES-ING FOR A GOAL: Natalie Jones is now in a tie with Christina Arteaga for the team-lead in goals this season with six after her two-score performance against UIW. The sophomore also scored the lone goals at Sam Houston in March, which at the time were her first two of the season.
• SOUTHLAND TOURNAMENT HISTORY: ACU has qualified for the tournament every year they've been eligible. The program is 4-1-2 all-time in the tournament, and are now in the semifinal round for the third time in four years. In 2017, ACU won on PKs against McNeese before losing on PKs to SFA. 2018 was the magical ride that included wins over McNeese, Central Arkansas, and SFA to win the tournament title and appear in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history. A win Thursday night would put the 'Cats in the title game for the second time ever.

SCOUTING SAM HOUSTON (6-5-1)

• The Bearkats finished as the No. 7 seed in league play with a 5-5-1 record, and it appeared as though their season was coming to an end in the first round. Sam trailed the No. 2 seed and host Lamar, 3-0 in the second half, but scored in the 52nd and 87th minutes to get within one, before a goal with 23 seconds left tied it and sent it to overtime. In OT, Courtney Pawlik scored the game winner in the final minutes to cap the comeback with a 4-3 stunner.
• Sam Houston is led by Brooke Jones' five goals scored, while Landri Townsend and Grace Stine have three goals apiece.
• The Bearkats have used two keepers this year; Abby DeLozier is 4-2-1 on the season, while Tatum Krueger sits with a 2-3-0 record.