Behind the legs of junior Krysta Grimm, the No. 21 ACU women’s soccer team rolled to a 4-0 victory Sunday afternoon against Texas A&M-International University at the Wildcat Soccer Pitch.
Grimm accounted for half of the team’s goals, scoring one goal each half for the Wildcats (2-0) en route to the statement win.
Andrea Carpenter, sophomore forward, and freshman midfielder Sarah Schoch were the other contributors for the ‘Cats.
Head Coach Casey Wilson praised his offense and their performance after the game and talked about their goal as an offensive unit and how it worked against TAMU-I.
“We possessed the ball very well this afternoon, and the forwards created a lot of opportunities for us,” Wilson said.
Senior Lyndsey Womack served as a catalyst for two goals as she had a pair of assists in the contest. Julie Coppedge and Carpenter followed suit, each providing one assist each as well.
“Our goal as an offense is to create space by passing the ball and taking opportunities when they are presented to us, and we did that well today,” Wilson added.
The game started off at a snail’s pace offensively, but with 39 seconds remaining in the first half, Grimm put the ball in the net following a pass from Womack, and took the goose eggs off the scoreboard.
“As many opportunities that we had and as well as we played in the first half, everyone was hoping we’d come into the locker room with at least one goal. It was nice that we fought all the way down until forty seconds to go and put that goal in,” Wilson said. “That was great to see for our team going into half and provided a much-needed boost.”
Less than 10 minutes into second half, Grimm put the finishing touch on a perfectly placed cross pass from Carpenter into the net, making the score 2-0.
From there, the Dust Devils chances of making a comeback began to look grim.
Lone Star Conference Offensive Player of the Year and All-American forward Andrea Carpenter joined the scoring act in the 66th minute after receiving a pass from Coppedge.
“I honestly didn’t think my goal was going to go in, so that was a surprise for me that it squeaked past,” Carpenter said. “But a goal’s a goal, so I’ll take it.”
Carpenter’s three-point effort Sunday moves her career total to 51, which is a school record.
Schoch, a freshman from Amarillo, got her young career off to a stellar start scoring her first collegiate goal in the 70th minute on a free kick from Womack that she headed into the back of the net.
“I feel like a weight has been lifted off of me since I’m a freshman, and I feel grateful that I had the opportunity to contribute to this game,” Schoch said. “Lyndsey kicked the perfect ball, and I’m fortunate that things turned out the way they did.”
Wilson added: “It’s exciting for Sarah to get the confidence she needs to play on the field. She set an example for all of the freshmen and provided a spark for our whole team today. I’m very proud of her and glad she scored her first college goal today.”
As the game progressed and TAMU-I’s fate seemed even more grim, the contest became more lively with both teams combining for 11 second-half fouls. Three yellow cards were handed out in the final ten minutes.
“This was definitely a battle and I think we handled their physical nature really well,” Carpenter said. “We didn’t really let the physical aspect pose much of a problem against us and how we played. We kept our cool on the field, and I think that played to our advantage.”
The Wildcats return to action Wednesday afternoon at 2 p.m. against Central Oklahoma in Edmond, Okla. before traveling to San Antonio to play Truman State Sunday at 11 a.m.
