CEDAR CITY, Utah -- The Southern Utah University soccer team opens up a two-game homestand this week starting on Thursday, Oct. 12, when they take on the Abilene Christian University Wildcats. They follow this up on Sunday, Oct. 15, when they face the Tarleton State University Texans. Both games will be streamed on ESPN+.
Abilene Christian
The Wildcats come into this matchup 7-6-1 overall and 2-3 in conference play. They are ranked No. 6 in the Western Athletic Conference standings, which is the last playoff spot. They are led by junior Chayse Thorn, who is third in the WAC and eighth in the nation in goals, scoring 12 on the season. Defensively the Wildcats split goalkeeping time between sophomore Lili Ross and redshirt sophomore Savanna Alba, who have 14 and 24 saves on the season, respectively. They are coming off a 3-1 loss to Utah Valley University and are on a two-game losing streak.
Tarleton State
Tarleton State enters this conference showdown 4-8-3 overall and 1-3-1 in conference play, they are in a four-way tie for seventh in the WAC. On offense, the Texans are led in scoring by sophomore Rylee Low, who has eight points on the season, good for eighth in the WAC. In goal the Texans are held together by sophomore Mikayla Kendall, who has a conference-leading 98 saves on the season. Tarleton State is coming off a 3-0 loss to Seattle University, which moves their current losing streak to three.
The Thunderbirds
The Thunderbirds enter this stretch of games tied for seventh in the conference. The centerpiece of this team is sophomore goalkeeper Julia Ortega. She is second in the conference in saves with 77 and sixth in save percentage with .713. The offensive attack is led by redshirt sophomore Whitney Gardner, with four goals and four assists on the season. These games are crucial for Southern Utah in their hunt for the playoffs, as two wins this week could move them up to third overall in the conference.
Quotes from Kai Edwards
"Abilene is good in ball possession with a potent striker (Thorn). We are pretty much in a win and stay in the playoff hunt situation. That pressure is a privilege and this team is ready to give it everything, again. It should be a cold day and it is ACU's first trip to altitude so we need to empty our tanks physically, tactically and emotionally to get the win."
Written by: Aidan Mortensen
Editor: Anden Garfield
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