CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. ? Austin Peay State University women's soccer team hits the road for its final two Ohio Valley Conference games with a 4 p.m., Friday match at Murray State, followed by a 2 p.m., Sunday match at Tennessee-Martin.
The Lady Govs (4-10-2, 1-3-2 OVC) sit in ninth place in the conference standings, three spots out of the postseason tournament. Their weekend opponents ? Murray State (9-2-2, 5-1 OVC) and UT Martin (8-4-2, 3-2-1 OVC) ? are in first and fourth place, respectively.
Austin Peay is coming off a 2-0 loss to Southeast Missouri and 0-0 tie against Eastern Illinois. The Lady Govs suffered a defensive breakdown against the Redhawks, allowing an own goal and a penalty kick after a foul in the box. Both goals, somewhat preventable, led to the Lady Govs undoing. They bounced back, at least defensively, against Eastern Illinois. The Lady Govs outshot the Panthers, 27-9, but neither team could find the back of the net.
Freshmen Rian Barger (4g, 1a) and Alanna Foster (3g, 3a) lead Austin Peay's offense along with senior Ashley Beck (3g). The Lady Govs have struggled in OVC play, with only two goals scored against league opponents.
Against EIU, sophomore Carley Newman recorded her first shutout since opening conference play against Jacksonville State. After becoming the Lady Govs No. 1 keeper early in the season, Newman has allowed 18 goals and made 62 stops. Her backline is young, highlighted by junior Lauren Moon and sophomore Hannah Jones.
Murray State lost its season's first OVC contest, 1-0 in overtime, at Morehead State, last Friday, but rebounded with a 3-1 win against Eastern Kentucky, Sunday. The Racers have been the league's best all-around team this season, outscoring conference opponents 13-3, thus far. Rachel Wright leads Murray State with six goals and six assists, while Katie Wilson has five goals and two assists. Goalkeeper Tara Isbell boast a 0.96 goals-against average, having allowed 16 goals while making 70 saves.
UT Martin, meanwhile, had vice-versa results on the same trip losing at Eastern Kentucky, 1-0, and picking up a 2-1 win at Morehead State. The Skyhawks have had a strong defensive year with keeper Johanna Rathbun's 0.845 saves percentage ranking in the top-50 nationally. Last weekend, Rathbun allowed two goals and made eight saves. Jamie Furstenberg, who scored the game-winner against Morehead State, has three goals, while Katie Imperiale has four goals to lead the Skyhawk's offense.
- AP -
