Women's Soccer | September 15, 2021

CLARKSVILLE – Looking to win its third-straight road match for just the second time in program history, Austin Peay State University's soccer team is set to play a 3 p.m., Thursday match against Alabama A&M at Charger Park on the campus of the University of Alabama in Huntsville.

After dropping its first four matches, Austin Peay is unbeaten in its last three matches, with wins against Chattanooga and North Alabama and a draw with Evansville. The Governors have found the back of the net four times during their unbeaten streak, with Claire Larose scoring twice and Rachel Bradberry and Alec Baumgardt each scoring once.

The Opposition

• All-time vs. Alabama A&M: 7-2-0
• All-time vs. the Bulldogs in Huntsville: 1-2-0
• Last Meeting: August 24, 2018 (W, 4-0) in Clarksville
• Last Meeting in Huntsville: August 19, 2011 (W, 14-0)

After a fifth-place finish in the spring 2021 Southwestern Athletic Conference standings, Alabama A&M was tabbed to finish third in the league's 2021 preseason poll. The Bulldogs are 0-5-1 to start the season, with their lone draw coming against Alabama-Huntsville.

Graduate goalkeeper Jodi Medina and junior forward Makayla Rushing were named preseason First Team All-SWAC selections, while junior forward Jameela Barrett received second team honors. Nationally, Medina ranks 11th in saves per game (7.83) and 12th in total saves (47)

Lauryn Christophe and Marissa Horton lead Alabama A&M in scoring this season, which each having found the back of the net once.

Notably

• Austin Peay has won back-to-back road matches for the first time since 2016, when it beat Morehead State (Sept. 22) and UT Martin (Sept. 30).
• A win at Alabama A&M on Thursday would mark just the second time in program history that the Govs have won three-straight road matches -- the 2005 squad accomplished that feat from Sept. 6-20.
• The 2016 Austin Peay team was the last to go unbeaten in three-straight road matches, beating Morehead State and UT Martin before a draw at Southeast Missouri.
• Senior Peyton Powell recorded her first career shutout against North Alabama, she is the first Austin Peay goalkeeper to record a solo shutout since Mary Parker Powell shutout Cincinnati in a 0-0 double-overtime draw on Sept. 21, 2019.
• Powell's clean sheet against North Alabama was Austin Peay's first since Mary Parker Powell and Chloé Dion combined to shutout Morehead State on Oct. 18, 2019.
• Austin Peay goalkeepers Peyton Powell and Chloé Dion are the only pair of OVC teammates that rank in the top ten in the league in goals against average, save percentage, saves, and saves per game.
• Dion recorded a career-high nine saves and her first career win against Chattanooga, she ranks second in the OVC with 6.50 saves per game this season.
• Powell matched her career-high with seven saves at Lipscomb, she ranks third in the league in save percentage (80.0 %) and goals against average (1.07).
• Alec Baumgardt scored her first career goal against North Alabama; she is the first of the Govs' 12 freshmen to score a point for Austin Peay.
• Sophomore Tori Case assisted on Baumgardt's goal against North Alabama, she led the Govs with three assists during her freshman season in 2020-21.
• Claire Larose found the back of the net for the 17th time in her career against Evansville, she ranks fifth in goals, fifth in game-winning goals (6), sixth in points (42), and eighth in assists (8) in program history.
• Senior Rachel Bradberry scored her season's first goal against Chattanooga, her seven goals since the start of the 2019 season is tied with Larose for the most goals by a Governor during that time.
• Graduate student Gybson Roth and fifth-year senior Claire Larose will both take advantage of an extra year of eligibility provided by the NCAA due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Freshman Hadleigh Watson and Avryn List are the first players in program history from Mississippi and Minnesota, respectively.

Up Next

Austin Peay will wrap up nonconference play with a 6 p.m., Sept. 23 match against North Dakota at Morgan Bros. Soccer Field. The Governors then kick off Ohio Valley Conference play when they host a 1 p.m., Sept. 26 match against UT Martin. For news and updates on everything Governors soccer, follow along on Twitter or Instagram (@GovsWSOC) or check back at LetsGoPeay.com.