Despite competing in her final home game, senior midfield Dylan Owens continued her successful career on the field at the Southland Conference Championship last weekend.

Owens, a senior advertising and public relations major from Willard, Missouri, began playing soccer at five years old, sparking her passion for the sport. Dylan’s mother was the coach for every indoor soccer team she played on, while her father was her high school coach.

During Dylan’s high school career, she racked up many accolades on and off the field–as a freshman she scored 25 goals, 30 as a sophomore, 32 as a junior and 47 goals as a senior. Not only was she a top scorer on her high school team, she also contributed to their win the 2014 and 2015 district championship.

Dylan was named first team all-district and all-region. She was also all-area honoree and given the Ozark’s Sports Zone Athlete of the Week citation. She graduated as the best offensive player in the district, totaling the most goals in her area.

As she prepared to graduate high school, Owens was recruited heavily in the Missouri area including Drury University, Missouri State University and Missouri University of Science & Technology. She also was in contact with several other universities across the country. 

Owens said Casey Wilson, head coach of ACU soccer, was the primary reason she chose ACU.

“I talked with a lot of colleges in high school all over the country,” Dylan said. “Casey Wilson recruited me and he was the main reason I choose to play here, I felt like he believed in me.”

Dylan said she really enjoyed the transition from high school to college, but can’t believe her journey is almost over.

Her success both on and off the field was not an easy feat. As a freshman, she contributed to the Wildcats’ success greatly. She was named all-conference second team, was on the Southland Conference Commissioner’s Honor Roll and played in every game.

She scored the team high of 18 points, ranked 7th in the league in points and scored two game winning goals.

During her sophomore season, she was again on the Southland Conference Commissioner’s Honor Roll and started in all 19 games of the season.

Her junior season, she was named on the first team Southland Conference all-academic, and the Southland Conference Commissioner’s Honor Roll for the third year in a row. She led the team with 18 points, started all 20 games and scored 5 game-winning goals.

Though Dylan acknowledges her achievements, she said she has made friendships along the way that outweigh success.

“This will sound cliche, but the relationships are the most special to me,” Dylan said. “I have made some lifelong friends here with memories that will never fade.”

As her senior season is comes to an end, Owens said she hopes the ending is greater than just a win.

“We use he hashtag #E4C, meaning excellence for christ, and that’s what I hope we end the season on,” Dylan said. “No matter what happens, I hope we show excellence and joy and pure happiness because we are able to do and play a sport we love.”