MOREHEAD, Ky. – After defeating Jacksonville State at home and battling Tennessee Tech to a nil-nil draw on the road last weekend, Morehead State soccer will look to continue its strong play as they take on in-state Ohio Valley Conference foe Eastern Kentucky Friday night. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.
WINGS, WINGS, WINGS: Buffalo Wild Wings is the official sponsor for Friday’s match. Free food and hats will be given out during the game.
ABOUT THE EAGLES: Morehead State enters the weekend with an overall record of 5-6-2 and holds an OVC record of 2-0-1. Last weekend the Eagles used goals from
Lauren Seebach and
Erin Adams to defeat Jacksonville State 2-1 on Friday before
Lily Meisner recorded her third shutout of the season in Sunday’s 0-0 tie at Tennessee Tech.
BACK OF THE OLD ONIONBAG: Morehead State’s tandem of sophomore forwards
Devan Jordan and
Jillian Birchmeier have been seemingly scoring at will this season. Jordan and Birchmeier both have netted five goals and an assist this season to lead the Eagles in scoring. The duo ranks in a tie for second in the conference for goals scored, just one tally behind Jacksonville State’s Amber DeLaney.
THE WALL: Junior
Lily Meisner has been the mainstay in net this season for Morehead State. Meisner has played all but 16 minutes in net for the Eagles on the year. She has racked up three shutouts and has recorded 50 saves. Meisner was named the OVC Goalkeeper of the Week on September 15 after compiling back-to-back shutouts against Kentucky and Miami.
SCORING SEEBACH: Senior
Lauren Seebach scored her first career goal in the second minute of Friday’s 2-1 victory over Jacksonville State. Seebach was named OVC Defensive Player of the Week for her efforts. She aided an Eagle defensive corps that allowed only one goal and just eight shots on net in the two games over the weekend.
SCOUTING EKU: Eastern Kentucky enters the contest with an overall record of 4-7-1 and an OVC mark of 1-1-1. Last weekend the Colonels suffered an overtime loss to Tennessee Tech Friday night before defeating Jacksonville State 1-0 on Sunday. Lauren Imsande leads EKU in scoring, posting three goals and an assist on the season. Alex Raich has found the net twice, while six other Colonels have scored once. Stephanie Lynch is EKU’s main goalkeeper and has recorded four shutouts so far this season. Lynch’s record stands at 3-5-1.
THE SERIES VERSUS EKU: This will be the fifth time the Eagles and the Colonels have met on the soccer pitch. Morehead State has won each of the four previous meetings. Last year MSU’s
Bethany Davidson scored the game-winner in overtime to give the Eagles a 3-2 victory in Richmond.
OVC RACE TAKING SHAPE: The current OVC standings find Morehead State and Tennessee Tech tied for first place with seven points apiece. However, TTU had played one more game than the Eagles. UT-Martin and Murray State are currently tied for third with six points. EKU enters the weekend with four points and in a tie for fifth place with Eastern Illinois. Southeast Missouri State and Austin Peay have two points and Jacksonville State has yet to garner a point in conference play. A conference win is worth three points, while a tie is worth one point and loss zero. The regular season champion will host the OVC tournament November 5-6 and 8, with a berth in the NCAA national tournament on the line.
FUTURE EAGLES?: Jayne Stadium will host the youngsters from the Morehead Youth Soccer League for Friday’s game. Young athletes ranging in age from preschool to second grade will be rooting on the Eagles as they battle the Colonels of Eastern Kentucky. The youngsters will also play an exhibition match at halftime of the match.
