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MOREHEAD, Ky. – After a tough slate of non-conference games, Morehead State now turns their attention to conference play, as they open up OVC play this week. The Eagles will travel to Eastern Illinois on Sunday at 2:00 pm ET, before returning home to take on Tennessee Tech Thursday at 6:00 pm ET.

The Eagles closed non-conference play with an up and down week, falling at Miami (Ohio) 2-0 earlier in the week before bouncing back and turning in a strong performance at Chattanooga, where they fought to a scoreless draw.

"We wanted to treat it like a conference game. We wanted to see their mentality, their game preparation and they were ready to play. Even though we had an hour delay in the rain, they stayed focus and probably played our best game without a result this season," Head Coach Warren Lipka added.

Offensively, the Eagles continue to be paced by Katie Kiolbassa, who leads the team in both shots and goals, and hopes to bring that success into OVC play, but as seen in their match at Chattanooga, the backbone of the team continues to be their defense. Morehead State brings one of the stingiest defenses in the league into conference play, as they are near the top of the OVC in goals against average (1.22), thanks in large part to the play of junior goaltender Michelle Jerantowski, who turned in her second shutout of the season last week.

"I think Sarah Faloon and Katelynn Setters have done a great job in the middle of the backfield. I think our back four have proven throughout the non-conference that they are a good defending group."

Morehead State now brings that stout defense into matches against Eastern Illinois and Tennessee Tech as they look to start conference play on the right foot. Both teams have played similarly challenging non-conference schedules, but both have also struggled offensively. EIU has only scored one goal in their last six matches and Tennessee Tech has only scored a single goal in their entire, abbreviated non-conference schedule.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
2021 Records: Morehead State (2-5-2) | Eastern Illinois (2-5-1) | Tennessee Tech (1-3-1)
Series History: Eastern Illinois (9-15-3) | Tennessee Tech (9-12-4)

Last Five Matches: 03/05/21 (EIU 1, MOR 0 [2OT]) | 10/06/19 (EIU 3, MOR 0) | 09/14/18 (EIU 1, MOR 0) | 10/01/17 (MOR 3, EIU 1) | 10/09/16 (MOR 1, EIU 0)

Last Five Matches: 03/09/21 (TTU 1, MOR 0) | 09/20/19 (MOR 1, TTU 1 [20T]) | 10/12/18 (MOR 2, TTU 0) | 10/13/17 (TTU 1, MOR 0) | 10/02/16 (MOR 1, TTU 1 [2OT])
 
NOTABLE

• Katie Kiolbassa is tied for 2nd in the OVC in shots (14), and Abby Vanhoeve is tied for 3rd in the league in assists (2).
• Michelle Jerantowski is 3rd in the league in saves (39) and tied for second in the OVC in shutouts (2), behind only Faith Davies of EIU (3).
• The Eagles have struggled on the road, posting a 0-4-1 record away from home, but have been very successful at MSU Recreation and Wellness Field, where they are 2-1-1.
• Morehead State is currently on a streak of 177 consecutive minutes without allowing a goal, their longest streak of the season.
• Morehead State has not scored against Eastern Illinois since 2017, when they defeated the Panthers on the road, 3-1.
• The last time the Eagles opened OVC play with a win was 2014, when they topped Jacksonville State 2-1 in double overtime.
• The most recent OVC victory at MSU Recreation and Wellness Field for the Eagles came on September 27, 2019, when Nicole Palmer scored the game winning goal with three seconds left to beat Belmont. Morehead State played their home games at Jayne Stadium last season.