The soccer team earned a spot in the Southland Conference postseason tournament after defeating Sam Houston 3-0 Friday and improved to 6-3-1 in conference after a win over SFA Sunday.
Against the Bearkats, ACU’s first goal came 18 minutes into the game when junior midfielder/defender Shay Johnson passed the ball to sophomore midfielder/forward Christina Arteaga. She dribbled the ball around the defender and shot the ball into the back of the net.
ACU’s second goal came when senior midfielder/forward Sophie Standifer fed the ball to teammate senior forward Dylan Owens at the 26th minute mark. Owens passed the ball to Arteaga who nailed it into the back of the net for her second goal of the night.
The Wildcats allowed three shots on goal attempts in the first 45 minutes. Redshirt junior goalkeeper Rachel Johnson had three saves in the first half. The defense held strong, staying up 2-0 at halftime.
During the second half, ACU outshot SHSU 22-6. Johnson had an additional three saves and finished the game with her sixth shutout of the season.
The final goal of the night was scored with only seven seconds remaining. Junior forward Samantha Vestal scored her second goal of the season when freshman forward/defender Laura Mauldin’s shot deflected off the post and she was there to finish it, giving ACU a 3-0 victory.
Arteaga said her team was excited to clinch a spot in the tournament.
“It definitely felt great but it was just another accomplishment checked off of our goals for the season that’s still not complete yet,” Arteaga said, “We sure do have our eyes on the prize.”
On Sunday against the Lumberjacks, the match remained scoreless until double overtime. Arteaga received a pass from senior defender/midfielder Caity Acosta, who sent the ball far side to Arteaga, who scored her third goal of the weekend and seventh of the season.
Arteaga was overjoyed that she was able to help the team with three goals this weekend.
“There were tremendous wins that couldn’t be done without a fight from our entire team,” Arteaga said.
After Sunday’s game Johnson had a total of three saves and her seventh shutout of the season.
ACU will finish the regular season this Friday at Elmer Gray Stadium against Incarnate Word at 7 p.m. This will also be Senior night for ACU.
