The Wildcats took on the University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley and Stephen F. Austin this past weekend, resulting in a double loss, and the departure of long-time head coach, Casey Wilson.
“I thought that although our soccer team did not have the success they were looking for,” Vice President of athletics Zack Lassiter said. “I thought they were competitive and fought until the end. We have a great group of girls in the program.”
On Thursday, ACU traveled to Edinburg to take on UTRGV, ending in a loss, 0-1.
The competition was close in aggressive playing styles. UTRGV outnumbered ACU closely in shot attempts, 8-9, but led in a great deficit in shots on goal, 5-1. UTRGV caused Lily Foster, red-shirt sophomore goalkeeper from Coeur d Alene, to put up and secure four saves to stop the Vaqueros from scoring more.
Chayse Thorn, sophomore from Rowlett, led the Wildcats with two shot attempts, while six other players each recorded one. Ellen Joss, graduate defender from Louisville, Kentucky, and Macie Stephens, sophomore defender from Springfield, Missouri, both played for the entire game as crucial defenders.
On Saturday, the Wildcats then headed back home for their final home game of the season to host Stephen F. Austin, which resulted in a loss, 1-4.
SFA brought the competition in the first half, entering halftime with three goals. Joss recorded the only goal for ACU in the 33rd minute with an assist from Grace Ornelas. In the second half, SFA was able to secure one more goal but was shut down after that.
SFA outnumbered the Wildcats in shot attempts, 16-10, but more narrowly outnumbered ACU in shots on goal, 8-5. Both teams recorded four saves but ACU was taken control over by their recorded 11 fouls.
The Wildcats ended their 2022 season with an overall record of 4-10-4, gaining wins from the University of Texas at El Paso, Grambling State, Prairie View A&M and Texas Southern. Yet, they ended their conference play with a record of 0-8-3, recording last in the Western Athletic Conference standings.
With the lack of wins this season, ACU decided to part ways with longtime head coach Casey Wilson. Wilson has been at ACU for 16 seasons, being the only coach the women’s soccer program has known. His overall record with the program concluded with 163-107-24, creating a winning percentage of .554, yet the past two seasons in the WAC have only recorded four wins.
“I have a ton of respect for Casey,” Lassiter said. “He has had a ton of success but ultimately after this past weekend, we decided that moving forward, having a new leader was what we needed.”
ACU will start the process of looking for a new head coach with the goals of finding ideals that will pursue Christian values as well as the strive for championships.
