ACU heads into what may be their toughest weekend yet, as face Big-12 powerhouse Oklahoma State and American Conference member Southern Methodist University. The women will face OSU in Stillwater, Oklahoma on Friday and SMU in Dallas on Sunday.
The Wildcats come into this weekend with a record of 1-4-1. Senior Natalie Throneberry and freshman Shay Johnson lead the team in goals with two a piece, and junior Chloe Fifer leads the team with two assists. In the last three games, ACU has started each of it’s three goalkeepers. Senior Sydney Newton has posted 15 saves this year with a 1.07 goals against average while senior Kelsey Dombrowski has put up a total of six saves. Freshman goalkeeper Rachel Johnson picked up the lone victory of the season against Prairie View A&M, as she put up two saves in that game.
OSU brings in a 2-3-1 record to their match with ACU Friday. Courtney Dike and Haley Woodard lead the Cowgirls with four goals each while Holly Brehmer and Zoller Marlo lead the team with two assists each. Goalkeeper Michela Ongaro has earned 21 saves so far this season and has 2.23 goals against average.
SMU brings in an impressive record of 3-1-0 to Sunday’s match. Allie Thorton leads the Mustangs with four goals while Hannah Fleet and Haley Thompson have three each. Vanessa Valadez and Jessica Cooley lead the team with three assists. Goalkeeper Catie Brown has posted only one save with a goal against average of .81.
“Since I have been here we have played some of the top-ranked teams in the country. OSU and SMU are among those,” said junior Peyton Bucklew. “We’re really focusing on speed of play this week and playing with the same intensity that OSU and SMU will bring to the field. I expect both of the games to be extremely competitive.”