STEPHENVILLE, Texas – Tarleton State Soccer starts a possible WAC-clinching week with a Thursday night contest against Utah Tech at 7 p.m. at the Tarleton Soccer Complex.
Admission is free to all Texan soccer matches this season. The game will be streamed on ESPN+. Live stats will be provided by StatBroadcast available on tarletonsports.com. Follow @tarletonsoccer on Instagram, X and Facebook for live updates, highlights and content.
The Tarleton Soccer Complex will host its annual Military Appreciation night. Fans that arrive through the gates early will receive a free co-branded Tarleton Soccer and Corps of Cadets scarf. As always, the Corps of Cadets will provide the colors for the match prior to the national anthem.
Tarleton could potentially clinch their first bid to the WAC Soccer Tournament. The Texans can clinch a berth to the Tournament for the first time with a pair of Texan Wins or a Texans victory and tie and at least one ACU loss. The four teams in the bottom half of the standings will all play each other in the final three games of the season. Currently, the Texans are in fifth in the WAC with three points. The top six teams will earn a spot in the 2024 WAC Tournament in Abilene, Texas.
Goalkeeper
Mikayla Kendall has totaled 88 saves, the most in the conference and ranks 9th in the NCAA. She is second among WAC goalies with 1280 minutes played and four shutouts. The Orange, Calif., native, also has two combined shutouts with fellow keeper
Rylie Bloomfield. Her 0.907 GAA is fourth in the league. She ranks 10
th in the nation and second in the WAC with an .871 save percentage. The junior is ranks eighth among active D1 goalies with 5.48 career saves per game. She is also 23
rd with 274 total saves.
The Purple and White lead the WAC with a .519 shot accuracy and 29
th in the nation. TSU ranks second in the WAC in total goals (25), points (69), and fouls (6.75). Tarleton is third in the WAC in total assists with 4.60 points per game. The Texan goalkeepers rank 12
th in the nation and second in the WAC with a .870 save percentage. The staff is 17
th in the country with 6.25 saves per game, which tops the WAC.
After two previous match-ups, the Trailblazers lead the all-time series, 1-0-1. Last time in Stephenville, the two squads engaged in a scoreless draw.
The Trailblazers enter Thursday night win less in conference play. Utah Tech is in the similar boat as the Texans with control of their destiny. Three-straight wins will clinch them a bid in the tournament. Junior Lacy Fox is leading the Trailblazers in scoring with seven goals and 15 points. She has scored on nearly half of her shots on goal tallying 7 goals on 15 shots on goal. In goal, the Trailblazers are led by Brianna Frey. She is the only keeper this season starting all 13 matches posting 71 saves and a 1.54 GAA. Head coach Lexi Brown is in her second year with the Trailblazers. In her first season she had six players recognized by the WAC in its postseason awards.
Head coach
Pete Cuadrado is in his 21st season as a collegiate head coach with Tarleton his third stop on his journey. He started his career at North Dakota State before spending time at Wyoming. During his career, he has amassed 184 wins, with 14 of those coming in the first three seasons of the Tarleton program.
The Texans will close the weekend with a Sunday matchup against Southern Utah at 1 p.m. on the second annual Soctoberfest. Fans will be able to ride a mechanical bull, receive a free Soctoberfest pint glass and Auntie Anne's pretzels.
