ACU soccer went on the road again this past weekend to face the Bears of the University of Central Arkansas and the Demons of Northwestern State University. The Wildcats returned to Abilene with one win and one loss.
On Friday night, the Bears beat the Wildcats in the last 45 minutes of the game, when the score was 2-1. All three goals were scored in the second half
It was a scoreless first half. The first goal was Bria Williams, who took a pass from her teammate, Jordan Slim, took the ball up the left side and shot a perfect shot into the back of the net, passing sophomore goalkeeper Erin Smith.
The Bear’s second and final goal of the night came from Camille Bassett, when she took a shot from eight wards out, in the last five minutes, right pass Smith.
However, ACU was able to score a goal, with six seconds remaining. Senior forward Dylan Owens kicked a corner kick and freshman forward/defender Laura Mauldin was able to get in position and beat the goalkeeper to the ball for her first career goal, right at the buzzer.
The past few games have been been more offensive, while this game was more defensive. ACU was only able to take eighth shots, five on frame, while Northwestern State had 12. Smith had a total of five saves that night.
Junior midfielder/defender Shay Johnson said they were all disappointed because they wanted to beat UCA.
“We knew that we had to turn around and play on Sunday,” Johnson said, “So we could not sulk about the loss. We had to keep our heads up and look at the positives about the game instead of the negatives.”
On Sunday afternoon, the Wildcats had a key 3-0 win against Northwestern State University. This was the seventh shut out of the season, matching the Div. I program record set in 2013.
The only goal scored in the first half was scored in the first seven minutes of the game by freshman forward Alyssia Anuat. Sophomore midfielder/forward Christina Arteaga kicked her the perfect corner, where she was able to head the ball in for her first career score. The score remained 1-0 throughout the first half.
The Wildcats were able to score two goals in the second half.
The first one came from Johnson, making her first goal of the season, in the 58th minute. Johnson picked up a lose ball and sent it in from the top.
“It was real humbling, scoring a goal,” Johnson said, “Knowing that my team was working hard for me, I had to work hard for them too. It gave me another reason to be proud to be a part of this team.”
The last goal came from Arteaga, when she received a perfect cross from senior midfielder/forward Sophie Standifer, and put the ball in the net. Arteaga is now tied with Owens, with four, for team-lead goals. Redshirt goalkeeper Rachel Johnson had a total of six saves on Sunday, her fourth shutout of the year. This was Johnson’s first game since Sept. 15.
The Wildcats return to Elmer Gray stadium for three straight matches, starting Friday at 7 p.m. ACU will host the Islanders of Texas A&M Corpus Christi for their Go Pink Game.
