Wildcats Find First Conference Win Against In-State Rivals

Sunday, September 27

Stephenville, Texas

1 p.m.

Abilene Christian

4-2-4, 1-0-1

Tarleton State

3-3-5, 0-1-0

Team	1	2	Final F
Abilene Christian	2	1	3
Tarleton St.	1	1	2

Sophia Saludares defends the ball against Texas Southern on Sept. 20, 2026.

Photo by: Nataly Zuniga

Wildcats Find First Conference Win Against In-State Rivals

9/27/2026 4:24:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score

By: Lindsey Blasingame

STEPHENVILLE — Abilene Christian (4-2-4) defeated the Tarleton State Texans (3-3-5) 3-2 for its first conference victory on Sunday. The Wildcats generated 11 second-half shots and seven corners after halftime to finish with 18 shots overall.

The Wildcats thought they found the back of the net first in the ninth minute, but Jenna Verplancke's attempt was overturned after a video review.

The Texans took the lead 1-0 in the 21st minute, but the Wildcats did not wait long to level the score with freshman Sophia Saludares' first goal of the season in the 29th minute. Raelin Miller followed close behind with her first goal of the season in the 34th minute.

Saludares and Miller became the Wildcats' ninth and 10th different goal scorers this season, displaying ACU's offensive depth.

The Wildcats carried the 2-1 lead through halftime until extending it with a goal from Raegan Hollis in the 62nd minute. Tarleton State continued its push throughout the game, scoring its second goal in the 78th minute, but Bella Medrano saved every shot on target from the Texans after that.

Medrano totaled seven saves on 18 total Tarleton State shots, nine of which were on goal. The Wildcats also tallied 18 shots throughout the game, with 11 coming in the second half.

"A complete team effort to pick up the win on the road and go undefeated on the weekend in our first two road conference games," head coach Stephen Salas said. "We had a lot of players step up with some key injuries, and this team continues to get better with every practice and game. That growth showed today. Up 3-1, we were able to rotate players in and get valuable minutes while continuing to manage the game. Once we settled in, we improved in our ability to play forward and create multiple dangerous chances. We knew Tarleton had the ability to counter well, so we made adjustments both before the game and throughout the match to prepare for that. Sophia scored a beauty of a free kick from outside the box, followed by goals from Raelin Miller and Raegan Hollis. Raelin's vision was crucial throughout the game, both in her ability to get into the right place at the right time and with her distribution. Charlise [Smith] also did a fantastic job of impacting both sides of the ball from the backline. I felt like she was all over the pitch for 90 minutes. It was exciting to see this team rise to the challenge. Starting tomorrow, our focus shifts to hosting our first UAC conference game next Sunday at 1 pm!"

This win keeps ACU at the top of the Red Division of the United Athletic Conference through the first weekend of conference play.

UP NEXT

The Abilene Christian soccer team will have an open day on Thursday before hosting Central Arkansas on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026, at Elmer Gray Stadium.

Central Arkansas is 3-5-2 so far this season. The Bears dropped their conference opener to Tarleton State 2-1 on Sept. 24 at home. UCA will also have an open day on Thursday, so both teams will have fresh legs for Sunday's match.

The game is scheduled to kick off at 1 p.m. on Sunday.