The Wildcat soccer team boasted its offense at home Friday night the Lions of North Alabama.

Coming off of a two-game losing streak to Texas A&M and Texas Tech, the Wildcats looked to rebound against NAU. In a much-needed confidence building game, the Wildcats offense exploded.  

That momentum swing would be halted due to a 45-minute weather delay, with lightning in the surrounding area. The game started at 7:45 and the Wildcats wasted little time getting on the board. Senior Shay Johnson scored within the first six minutes, at 5:36 into the game. From there, ACU kept the goals coming.

Freshman Caylen Wright scored her first collegiate goal in the 12th minute, followed by Freshman Natalie Jones who scored at the 15-minute mark.

NAU wouldn’t be held scoreless. Senior Shelby Wall scored her first goal in the 38th minute. Senior Brooke Lenz scored a buzzer beater shot within 40 seconds of the half ending. This was Lenz’ first goal of her final season, with the assist coming from Brittany Harris.  

The second half started with Head Coach Casey Wilson getting a look at the depth team. The Lions defense also improved in the second half.

Defense was a priority in the latter half, but the scoring did not stop. Off of a brilliant pass from Freshman K’Lynne Massey, Jones got her second goal of the game in the 81st minute. Wall took control of the Lions offense, scoring her second goal of the game in the 86th minute.  

Coach Wilson was pleased with the way his team performed and is looking ahead to the rest of the season with confidence. 

“Sometimes teams like [Texas A&M, Texas Tech] can stifle an offense,” Wilson said. “Being able to gain some confidence offensively is good going into the Baylor game and the season.” 

 The Wildcats went on to win by a score of 5-2, moving their record to 4-2 on the season. As for NAU, they move to 2-5 on the year. ACU’s five goals were the highest total since Oct. 2017, in which the Wildcats won 6-2 over Northwestern State.