ACU will take on Angelo State at 5 p.m. Friday after a first round bye in the Lone Star Conference Tournament which began Thursday. The Wildcats entered the tournament as the second seed behind first seed Midwestern State.

Midwestern State finished the season 10-1 in conference, earning the top seed and the rights to host the conference tournament. The Mustangs also received a first round bye and will now play Central Oklahoma, after  the Bronchos defeated Incarnate Word 3-1.

The winner of the MSU­­-UCO semifinals match will play the winner of the ACU­-ASU game in the conference finals.

ACU has had its best season in school history, earning its highest seed in the conference tournament this year. ACU is still seeking its first postseason victory and conference title.

“I think we have had an excellent season, and we have reached our goals as a team that we set at the beginning of the season,” Coach Casey Wilson said. “We have given ourselves a chance to cash in this weekend on all of our hard work so far this season.”

This weekend is important not only for the conference tournament, but also because the results could determine if ACU qualifies for the NCAA regional tournament as well. The Wildcats would need to be in the top six in the region to qualify. The Wildcats currently sit in fourth, with Midwestern State one spot above them and Angelo State one spot below. Other LSC teams trying to jump in the standings are Incarnate Word and Central Oklahoma, who sit at seventh and eighth, respectively.

The winner of the LSC tournament earns an automatic bid into the regional tournament. Even though ACU has played its best regular season with a 14­­-3 record, they still have to play strong this weekend.

“A lot of things could happen this weekend,” Wilson said. “Just about everyone in the conference tournament is hovering around the top 10 in the regional polls. We have to take care of business, especially by winning the first game on Friday night. If we don’t win that first game on Friday we would be putting the rest of our season in jeopardy.”

The Wildcats will take on the Rambelles at 5:00 p.m. in Wichita Falls at the MSU soccer field.  All of the games can be watched on the conference website at lonestarconference.org.