CLARKSVILLE – In the final regular season match, Austin Peay State University women's soccer team looks to hand Murray State its first conference loss of 2016 when the rivals square off 7 p.m., Thursday, at Morgan Brothers Soccer Field.
The Governors (10-6-2, 5-2-2 OVC) are riding momentum following back-to-back shutout victories over Belmont and Jacksonville State last weekend. APSU currently sits in fourth place in the Ohio Valley Conference rankings, a position in which it would host an opening round tournament date.
Three different players scored goals for Austin Peay in its previous two games, beginning with redshirt sophomore Morgan Jackson netting her first career goal in the 50th minute to help defeat Belmont. Senior Gina Fabbro added a late score, the 28th of her career which puts her two away from tying Ashley Beck for second all-time in career goals.
Against the Gamecocks, junior Kirstin Robertson found the back of the net following a pair of assists two days prior. This time, it was a game-winning strike in the 75th minute, giving her 27 points in 2016 – tying Tatiana Ariza for the fourth-highest single-season point total in APSU history.
Junior goalkeeper Lindsey Todd improved her record to 8-2-2 with her fourth and fifth clean sheets, and also owns the second-best goals against average in the OVC at 0.81.
The Racers (8-4-3, 7-0-2 OVC) are seeking their second consecutive undefeated season, and are also carrying two shutout wins over Belmont and JSU entering Thursday. Reigning OVC Player of the Year winner Harriet Withers leads Murray State offensively with 18 points, while Taylor Richerson has 12. In goal, Alex Steigerwald has earned five shutouts with a 1.32 goals against average.
Last Time Against Murray State
The Govs and Racers met in the 2015 regular season finale at Murray State, with the Racers earning a 2-1 victory that kept APSU out of postseason contention.
Keep An Eye On
Todd is on pace to record one of the premier seasons by an Austin Peay goalkeeper. If the season ended today, the Brentwood native would rank third all-time in single-season GAA.
Along with Fabbro chasing history, so too is Robertson on the career goals chart. With her 14 career tallies, the junior currently ranks tied for fifth all-time.
Senior midfielder Brianna Avitabile is nine minutes away from reaching 1,500 for her career.
Follow the Govs
Be sure to follow all the Austin Peay soccer action at LetsGoPeay.com and the official Facebook page of Austin Peay Athletics. In addition, live play-by-play coverage can be found on Twitter (@AustinPeaySocr), while Thursday's match can be streamed at OVCDigitalNetwork.com.
