Soccer Heads North For Pair of Matches

MOREHEAD, Ky. -- The Morehead State soccer team heads north for a pair of non-conference matches this weekend. The Eagles start the weekend at Horizon League foe Illinois-Chicago at 6 p.m. ET Friday and finish with a 2 p.m. contest Sunday at Mid-American Conference opponent Ball State.

The UIC Flames are 0-2 this year, falling 2-1 to fellow Ohio Valley Conference school SIU Edwardsville and 4-0 to Iowa. Ball State owns a pair of shutouts already, blanking IPFW 2-0 and Wisconsin-Green Bay 3-0.

Next weekend, Morehead State will host its home opener on Sept. 5 versus Appalachian State at 6 p.m.

Ways to follow the matches:

LIVE STATS (UIC) | LIVE AUDIO (BSU) | TWITTER | FACEBOOK

Live stats will be available for both matches. Ball State is providing an audio broadcast for Sunday's match. Updates will be available via Twitter and Facebook as well.

Releases and pre-match information:

MOREHEAD STATE (PDF) | ILLINOIS-CHICAGO | BALL STATE | OHIO VALLEY CONFERENCE

Notes heading into the weekend:

Opening Week Recap
Morehead State started the season 1-0-1 with a 2-1 win at Bowling Green on Aug. 22 and a 1-1 double-overtime tie at Northern Kentucky on Aug. 24. Senior midfielder Holly Tilley scored the match-winner in the 81st minute against BGSU, while sophomore Angela Black scored the other goal. Senior forward Macy Cobb scored the Eagles' goal at NKU.

Where Championships Happen
Morehead State owns five OVC championship trophies. The Eagles have won the regular season title twice (2009, 2010) and have claimed three tournament championships (2008, 2010, 2013).

Spreading Out the Points
MSU received goals from three separate players and assists from three players in its first two matches. Junior defender Kelsey Patera was credited with her first career helper at NKU.

Playing Keep-away
Morehead State allowed its first two opponents only four shots on goal. The Eagles also limited BGSU and NKU to five corner kicks combined.

Fame and Flory
Senior forward Jade Flory was named the 2013 OVC Offensive Player of the Year. The Youngstown State transfer ranked second in the conference with a team-best 14 goals and also added five assists for a team-high 33 points.

Super Sophomore
Sophomore forward Angela Black earned OVC Freshman of the Year in 2013. Black recorded six goals and four assists. She scored her first goal of the year at Bowling Green.

Macy Finds the Net
Senior forward Macy Cobb scored five goals in 2013 to rank third on the team. She found the back of the net for the first time this season at NKU. Cobb has 10 career scores.

Manning The Net
Junior goalkeeper Elizabeth Floyd was forced to make just two saves versus BGSU and NKU. In 200 minutes this season, she has posted a 0.90 goals against average.

Seniors Aplenty
After having only one senior in 2013, the roster features 10 this season. Eight are four-year players, while Holly Tilley and Lindsey Oettle are redshirt seniors.

The Man in Charge
Head Coach Warren Lipka is in his sixth season at Morehead State with a record of 45-45-14. He is in his 22nd season as a collegiate head coach with a career mark of 227-184-44. Lipka was named the OVC Coach of the Year in 2010, 2011 and 2013.