CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Austin Peay State University women's soccer team lost, 1-0, to Murray State in Ohio Valley Conference action, Friday, at Morgan Brothers Soccer Field.
Murray State improves to 6-7 overall with a 4-2-1 OVC mark, while the Austin Peay falls to 1-11-4 overall with an 0-4-2 league clip. The Lady Govs are winless in their last 12 matches.
Injuries limited Austin Peay to only one substitution on the night, forcing nine field players to play the full 90 minutes. The defense was left without starting center-back and team captain, junior Hannah Jones. Playing with little depth, the Lady Govs held their own for most of the match.
“I thought it was a back-and-forth match and we played them pretty even,” Lady Govs head coach Kelley Guth said. “The difference was they executed on an opportunity and put the ball in the back of the net. I don't think we were outplayed or outworked. It's disappointing, but we have to continue to move forward.”
Austin Peay struggled, however, in creating attacking opportunities. Many times in the first half, the Lady Govs worked the ball inside the 18-yard line and failed to get off a shot. The Racers outshot Austin Peay 13-3 for the match, including a 6-0 first-half advantage.
Murray State scored the game-winner with less than 10 minutes left in the game. Rachel Longley raced down the right side, retrieving a clear from the defense, as Vern Pribyslavksa followed. Longley fired a shot off the Lady Govs keeper and Pribyslavka scored the rebound, in the 82nd minute.
Pribyslavka led the Racers with three shots. Juniors Monique Wong and Samantha Northrup, along with sophomore Rian Barger each had one shot for Austin Peay.
The Lady Govs return to the pitch for a 2 p.m., Sunday, match against Tennessee Martin. The Skyhawks did not play a Friday match.
“Our team wants to fight and this disappointment is not going to break us a team,” said Guth. “We have a strong group of players that really want to work hard and battle through every game we play. We're going to come out and play better on Sunday.”
-AP-
