ABILENE – Natalie Jones and
Megan Paul each scored first-half goal, and the Wildcat soccer team cruised to a 2-0 win over the UIW Cardinals in the regular season finale Friday night at Elmer Gray Stadium. It was a team domination, possessing the ball 61% of the time and out-shooting their guests 16-4. The win gives the ACU (11-5-2, 7-3-1) a chance to win the regular season championship, depending on the outcome of other games around the conference this weekend. The win caps off a 4-2-1 home record in a wild, crazy 2020-21 season.
Southland Significance
ACU did its part to claim a conference championship, and now await the help. If SFA loses to Sam Houston AND Lamar loses to McNeese, the Wildcats are the regular season champions. The Wildcats have officially captured a top-three seed in the tournament, and can finish either first, second, or third depending on the outcomes this weekend.
The Goals
- 2' | It was an early goal, and it came going into a raucous 21 mile-per-hour wind. After it looked like a ball was headed out of bounds for a corner kick, instead it hit the flag and
Christina Arteaga was there to keep it in play. The senior sent a ball into the box, and it was deflected off the keeper and poked back out to
Natalie Jones. Jones gathered and fired quickly, and the ball deflected off of Cardinals and rolled in on the right side of the net.
- 29' | The ball was sent in from near the mid-field stripe, and Jones tried to corrall it. It was a physical play that saw both Jones and the defender go down, but the ball popped free for
Megan Paul. The senior dribbled through two defenders and sent a laser from the top right side of the box for the goal, her first of the season.
The Numbers
- It was a lopsided edge in shot attempts and shots on goal, with ACU leading 16-4 and 7-3, respectively.
- The Wildcats held a 7-2 edge in corner kicks.
- Jones led the way with four shot attempts, while freshman
Hannah Gage tallied three attempts.
- In total, 11 different players recorded a shot attempt: Jones, Gage, Arteaga, Paul,
Ellen Joss,
Brianna Diaz,
Alyssia Anuat,
Caylen Wright,
Faith Husbenet,
Natalie Wodka, and
Brennan Reuland.
Up Next
- The Southland Conference Tournament begins on Tuesday, April 13 down in Beaumont, Texas hosted by Lamar. The time of the game depends on the seeding, and all that info will be available on Sunday evening at ACUSports.com and ACUSports and ACU_Soccer on social media.
