NASHVILLE – It was not due to a lack of chances, as Austin Peay State University soccer fired a season-high 18 shots for the second straight game, but dropped the regular-season finale on the road against Belmont, Sunday, at E.S. Rose Park.
The Governors knew they would have a place in the Ohio Valley Conference Soccer Championship heading into Sunday's match, the only question was: where would they be seeded? The combination of the Governors falling on the road at Belmont, and Eastern Illinois losing on the road at Murray State means the Govs will be the No. 7 seed in the OVC Soccer Championship.
The seventh-seeded Governors will travel to UT Martin for the opening weekend of the OVC Soccer Championship. The Govs will be matched up with sixth-seeded Belmont, for the second consecutive match, in the first round. The winner of the Austin Peay-Belmont rematch, Friday, will take on third-seeded UT Martin, Sunday, for a chance to advance to the OVC Soccer Championship semifinals in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
KOLAROVA THOUGHTS
Opening Remarks… "Belmont's turf is tough to play on, its fast and hard. We took 15 minutes to get used to it and they were able to score one in that time. It is frustrating to concede so early and have to scrape our way back into a game, but I think we worked hard to settle into a rhythm following the goal."
On today's match… "We had spells where we controlled the game and created a number of good attacking opportunities. Our finishing wasn't as good today as it should have been, so we will work on it again this week."
Moving forward… "Unfortunately it wasn't our day today, but we are going to see them [Belmont] again on Friday in the conference tournament."
FULL RECAP
The scoring in this one was over with just as quickly as the game started, Belmont's Niki Clements scored what would prove to be the game winner in the 6th minute of action
After falling behind early, the Governors offense came out with the same aggressive attack they displayed on Friday against Eastern Illinois. The Govs posted a season-high 18 shots for the second consecutive game, but unlike Friday, they were unable to find the back of the net against Belmont.
The Governors fired a barrage of first half shots, with six different Governors combining for 12 shots, with three on goal. Morgan Drawdy and Anna McPhie led the way, with each getting off three shots, with one on frame apiece. Ashley Whittaker and Claire Larose added two shots each, with Whittaker supplying the Govs third shot on goal of the half.
The offensive attack was slowed down marginally in the second half, with the Govs still getting off six shots, with two on goal. Delanie McKeon and Renee Semaan led the way with two-shots each in the second 45 minutes. Larose and Drawdy provided the Governors only two shots on net in the second half.
Despite the season-high 18 shots, the Governors were never able to find the back of the net and dropped the match, 1-0. The scoreless outing is the first match in the month of October where the Govs haven't found pay dirt, breaking a streak of six-consecutive matches with a goal.
The Governors wrap up the regular season with a record of 4-9-4, 3-5-2 in the OVC. Overcoming a tough start to the season, the Govs posted a 3-3-1 record in the month of October to qualify for the postseason.
The Governors will be back in action when they kick off the OVC Soccer Championship with a 3 p.m. match, Friday, on the campus of UT Martin in Martin, Tennessee. Fans can enjoy the entirety of the OVC Soccer Championship on ESPN+.
