CLARKSVILLE – With three matches remaining in the 2015 regular season, Austin Peay State University women's soccer team awaits two final home contests against Eastern Illinois, 7 p.m., Friday, and SIU Edwardsville, 2 p.m., Sunday at Morgan Brothers Soccer Field.
The Lady Govs (6-9-0, 2-5-0 OVC) enter the weekend slate currently ranked 10th in the conference standings. The top six will punch tickets to the OVC Tournament beginning Nov. 1, signifying the importance of each matchup as APSU seeks a late charge up the rankings.
Austin Peay has been recently led by junior duo Gina Fabbro and Nicole Wojcik, with the two accounting for five points in the last two matches. Fabbro has served as the center forward in the Lady Govs attack, leading to a career-best eight goals in 2015 which ranks tied for second in the OVC. Meanwhile, Wojcik has maintained her consistency as a winder and free kick specialist, now with seven goals and two assists in her debut season.
Eastern Illinois (3-11-2, 1-5-1 OVC) travels to Clarksville sitting one spot below the Lady Govs in 11th. The Panthers currently are last in the conference in shots attempted with 156, with their lone win coming against Tennessee Tech, Oct. 9. EIU has since been shutout in back-to-back matches, and will rely on Molly Hawkins to rekindle the offense. The midfielder has registered seven goals and two assists this season to lead the squad.
SIU Edwardsville (5-8-3, 2-4-1 OVC) came into 2015 with high expectations coming off an OVC Championship run, but the Cougars have struggled to find the back of the net this season. With just three goals scored in its conference schedule, SIUE has relied heavily on goalkeeper Jennifer Pelley. The senior has elevated her play to rank second in goals against average (0.72) and first in shutouts (seven), which has allowed the Cougars to give up only 12 goals on the year.
Last Time Against Opponents
Eastern Illinois: After four-straight wins in the series, the Lady Govs fell to Eastern Illinois, 3-1, Oct. 5, 2014. Gina Fabbro opened the scoring for APSU in the third minute off an assist from sister Sophia Fabbro, but the Panthers rebounded to score three unanswered goals.
SIU Edwardsville: The Lady Govs earned a 1-0 victory over the Cougars, Oct. 12, 2014, in Edwardsville. Gina Fabbro connected on the game-winning goal in the 57th minute, while Nikki Filippone picked up the shutout in goal with six saves.
Keep An Eye On
This weekend will be the final regular season home matches for four Lady Govs – Nikki Filippone, Shelby Olszewski, Courtney Sheppard and Taylor Van Wagner.
Gina Fabbro, Wojcik and freshman McKenzie Dixon are all within the 10 goal mark for the season. If either hits double-digits, they would become the third player in program history to do so.
In addition, Wojcik is two goals shy of entering the top 10 career list at Austin Peay.
Lady Govs Online
Be sure to follow all the Lady Govs action at LetsGoPeay.com and the official Facebook page of Austin Peay Athletics. Live play-by-play coverage can be found on Twitter (@AustinPeaySocr), while live stats are available at PeayStats.com. All OVC matches can be streamed live and free on OVCDigitalNetwork.com.
