Arteaga is establishing herself as an all-time great at Abilene Christian
When you join a team at any level, you’d always like to establish a legacy there. For Christina Arteaga, she is well on her way to becoming one of the best players in Abilene Christian University’s history.
Entering her senior season, Arteaga ranked second in school history in points, goals, and shots, third in shots on target and game-winning goals, and sixth in assists.
“To be able to break records here at ACU is such an honor to me,” she told BGN. “There are so many amazing players that have played at this program and just to be able to have my name amongst theirs is such a delight.”
“The amount of work I put in practice and behind the scenes is reassured by the statistics and awards that I have received and I feel extremely blessed to have the capabilities to do so.”
The player that holds a lot of those records above Christina is Andrea Carpenter, who played her final season at ACU in 2013. “(Head Coach) Casey (Wilson) brings Andrea Carpenter’s name up quite a bit, talking about her tenacity and desire to score goals every time she hit the field,” Arteaga said. “Her legacy is looked at as something that I want to continue here at ACU. Having big shoes to fill has been something I have enjoyed chasing after.”
With the uncertainty around NCAA soccer in the crazy year that is 2020, Christina is just enjoying getting out there on the pitch to play the sport she loves. She said, “Being able to play soccer again was a feeling of pure joy. I remember my first game back with ACU after months apart, the amount of adrenaline and excitement I felt made me never want that game to be over.”
“The ability to play with my teammates as well as hearing the fans’ cheers is something that will forever bring pure happiness to my heart.”
Following an opening match loss to Louisiana-Lafayette, that enjoyment of getting to play has been amplified by a three-match unbeaten run. Arteaga scored her first goal of the season in ACU’s first win of the season, 3-2 over Texas State. Next up, Arteaga and ACU will face Louisiana Tech on Saturday afternoon at home.
The 3⃣ goals vs. TXST! @stinaathegreat, @jordanmichie, & the game-winner from @ellenjoss!#TearEmUp | #SACRFCE pic.twitter.com/Y8LpMcLmsH
— ACU Soccer (@ACU_Soccer) September 14, 2020
Before kickoff, you could probably catch Christina listening to one of these “go-to” songs on her pre-match playlist: “In My Mind” by Dynoro & Gigi D’Agostino, “Hate Me” by Ellie Goulding & Juice WRLD, “Vicious” by Tate McRae feat. Lil Mosey, and “Hard Work Pays Off” by Future & Juice WRLD.
She will hope her hard work during college pays off once she’s done with her time as a Wildcat. When I asked if she’d like to pursue a professional career in soccer, she answered, “After college, I do have a desire to continue to play soccer at a professional level but wherever I end up will be what God wants for my life and I am quite excited to see his plans for me.”
No matter what happens after she leaves ACU, Christina Arteaga will be a name in the record books for years to come.
