Records have been broken, players have stepped up this season, and victories have been plentiful. That’s the formula for one great season from the ACU soccer team.
And the fun isn’t over yet. The Wildcats have clinched the second seed for the Lone Star Conference Tournament, which will take place this Thursday, Friday, and Sunday at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls.
This is the highest seeding ACU has received since the soccer program began four years ago. Head coach Casey Wilson said he is excited for the chance this gives the team to add even more pages to what is already a season for the record books.
“Our first year in existence, we didn’t make the tournament, and the second and third years we were knocked out in the first round,” Wilson said. “We’ve been climbing the ladder each year, and we’re excited for what the rest of this year will bring.”
For players like Bree Craig who have been a part of the ACU soccer program since its inaugural season four years ago, this season really has meant something special.
“From going to not qualifying for the tournament freshman year to earning a bye senior year just goes to show our resiliency as a team,” Craig said. “It’s definitely an exciting time for our team.”
Going into last weekend, the Cats’ were ranked No. 23 in the nation and second in the region. They needed to win both games and pray for a Midwestern to host the conference tournament.
Texas A&M-Commerce hosted ACU Friday night and beat the Wildcat in a tight game, 1-0 The loss snapped the Cats’ eight-game winning streak and marked the first time ACU has finished a game with a goose egg on the scoreboard. Commerce goalie Randi Hafele had eight saves, and Megan Monroe scored the game’s only goal.
ACU played at Texas Women’s University on Sunday and got back on track. Freshman superstar Andrea Carpenter recorded her second hat trick of the season in the Cats’ 3-2 victory. The win secured a second seed in the conference tournament and marked the program’s highest ever win total for a season.
The Wildcats (14-3, 9-2) received a first round bye in the LSC tournament and will play the winner of the Angelo State-Commerce game at 5 p.m. Friday in Wichita Falls.
