The Wildcats had a shut out weekend securing both wins from competitors Prairie View A&M, 5-0, and Texas Southern, 1-0.
With this weekend’s double wins, ACU now has a 4-2-1 overall record going into their first conference match against Tarleton.
“It was good to gain some confidence and put some balls in the net,” head coach Casey Wilson said.
On Friday, the Wildcats hosted Prairie View A&M, a previous competitor, which ended in a dominant 5-0 win for the Wildcats. ACU did not hold back on their aggressive plays to start off the game.
In the 9th minute, Chayse Thorn, sophomore forward from Rowlett, carried the ball down the field, crossing it in the middle straight to Caylen Wright, senior forward from Joshua, who was able to sink it in the back of the net to put the Wildcats on the board, 1-0. Less than four minutes later, Taylor Denn, sophomore midfielder from Medford, Oregon, sent the ball flying right in front of the goal from a corner kick, where Ellen Joss, graduate defender from Louisville, Kentucky, sent it in the goal off of a header, bringing the score to, 2-0.
Five minutes later, Wright was set up by a deflection where it met her in front of the goal and all she needed was one strike to send it in the back of the net. That goal tallied her second of the night and brought the overall score to 3-0. The Wildcats ended the first half with 11 shot attempts, securing three of them, compared to the Panthers’ three shot attempts.
Starting off in the second half, Thorn did not waste any time when she secured her fourth goal of the season within the first five minutes, bringing ACU up 4-0. About halfway through the half, Hannah Vetromile, freshman forward from Justin, tried for the goal and was deflected but Jordan Michie, senior forward from Arlington, was there for the rebound, securing the final goal, bringing the final score to 5-0.
“All we could do is just give ourselves opportunities and I think that’s what we did,” Wilson said. “Us doing things fundamentally right and we executed things right in Friday’s game.”
The Wildcats tallied a total of 30 shot attempts with 21 on goal, with Natalie Jones, senior midfielder from Lubbock, leading the team with six shot attempts and four shots on goal.
On Sunday, the Wildcats met Texas Southern for their Senior Day, which resulted in a simple 1-0 win for ACU.
The Wildcats honored their nine seniors pregame for their contributions and the difference they have made on the team while being here at ACU.
“It’s great to reflect on what they have done,” Wilson said. “I think all of them have at least been here three to four years so they’ve had a big impact on our program. We are very proud of these young ladies.”
In the 19th minute, Wright passed the ball in the perfect pass where Brennan Reuland, senior midfielder from Arlington, was able to take control of the ball and put it in the back of the net. This gave ACU the lead and brought the final score to a 1-0 ACU win.
The Wildcats tallied 21 shot attempts with nine of them being on goal. Lily Foster, redshirt sophomore goalkeeper from Coeur’d Alene, Idaho, held back four of the Tigers on goal-shot attempts, leaving them scoreless. ACU dominated on corner kicks, outnumbering Texas Southern 10-1 on those opportunities.
“This has given us momentum going into this weekend,” Wilson said. “It’s just a matter of breaking down what we need to do against Tarleton and put more balls on frame.”
With this weekend wrapping up the non-conference games, the Wildcats face Tarleton State, for their first Western Athletic Conference matchup, Sunday at 1 p.m. in Stephenville, streaming on ESPN+.
