The Wildcats recently met with Grand Canyon and California Baptist this past weekend on the road, ending in a loss and tie.
On Friday, ACU headed to Pheonix, Arizona to take on Grand Canyon for the first time this season, ending in a loss, 2-4.
“It can be a cruel game,” head coach Casey Wilson said. “Especially when it comes to finishing chances. Our team just needs to get out there and get hot.”
Grand Canyon started off strong from the very beginning. Within the first two minutes, Gianna Gourley made a quick move to secure the goal, putting GCU up 1-0. Less than seven minutes later, Leah Pirro was able to sink another goal in the net, with an assist from Gianna Gourley, to give the Lopes a breakaway, 2-0.
The Lopes would then go on to score two more goals, putting the Wildcats behind 4-0 with a minute into the second half. It was not until the last four minutes of the game that the Wildcats finally started to click together. Chayse Thorn, sophomore forward from Rowlett, was able to take the ball all the way to the goal and secure her fifth goal of the season. Not even a minute later, with an assist from Jordan Michie, senior forward from Arlington, Thorn was able to take another goal for the Wildcats, leaving a 2-4 game.
Despite the gap in the score and between shot attempts 10-20, the Wildcats were not far behind the Lopes in shots on goal, 6-8.
On Sunday, the Wildcats then headed to Riverside, California to take on California Baptist, where both teams were unable to score, ending in a 0-0 tie.
“It’s just a matter of being able to measure up and take away our chances,” Wilson said. “It’s just a matter of us playing clean up and down the field.”
With there being no goals by both teams, their aggressive offense did not stop. CBU put up 19 shot attempts to ACU, putting eight of those on goal, causing Lily Foster to tally her second-highest total of the season with eight saves.
The Wildcats had 10 shot attempts on the Lancers but were shut down to only having four of those shots placed on the goal. Both ACU and CBU tied 4-4 in corner kicks, resulting in both of them missing the gain.
With the new regular conference play rule on ties, this is the fourth time this season the Wildcats have ended in a tie. This season is the most times ACU has tied in one season.
“It’s just making a tweak here and there,” Wilson said. “Decisions you make anywhere on the field can affect the backline but I think overall our backline has been very solid, especially the goalkeeping.”
ACU stays at home this weekend for a two-game series. The Wildcats will take on Utah Valley Friday at 7 p.m. and Seattle U Sunday at 12 p.m. in Elmer Gray Stadium, streaming on WAC International.
