The soccer team clinched its first postseason tournament berth since 2021 by securing the fourth and final spot in the Western Athletic Conference tournament with a win against California Baptist University on Sunday, 2-1.
“They’re building the foundation,” Head Coach Stephen Salas said. “They’re leaving the legacy for the current teams and future teams. It was a really special moment to win our first berth to the WAC tournament.”
Entering Sunday’s game, ACU was in last place in the standings and needed a win along with Tarleton State and Utah Tech losses. All three results went in the Wildcats’ favor, resulting in the postseason berth.
In their final regular-season game, the Wildcats took a lead in the 42nd minute with a goal from Emma Nylund, senior midfielder from San Antonio. CBU answered three minutes later, tying the game on a penalty kick. In the 78th minute, ACU took the lead back on a goal from Shakira Kafero-Roberts, sophomore forward from London.
In the first round of the tournament, the Wildcats will face the Utah Valley University Wolverines, the host of the tournament, in Orem, Utah.
ACU has faced UVU two times this season, with the most recent matchup on October 30 when the team lost 4-1 at Elmer Gray Stadium. The time before the Wildcats lost 5-1 in Utah on September 27.
UVU enters the tournament as the team to beat with a 9-0-1 conference record and a 13-4-2 overall record. The Wolverines have the two leading scorers in the WAC this season–Faith Webber and Ruby Hladek with 19 and 14 goals respectively. They are the only two in the conference with double-digit goals. UVU also has four players, one of them being Hladek, in the top 10 assists leaders for the WAC.
Salas said it’s going to take unity and belief for his team to not only defeat UVU but also win the conference championship.
“For us, it’s coming together,” he said. “We have 25 on the roster. All the way from number one to 25 it’s going to be [about] unity.”
If the Wildcats win Wednesday’s match, they will advance to the conference championship on Saturday, facing either CBU or Utah Tech.
