MOREHEAD | Morehead State will play its first "major conference" school of the soccer season when Cincinnati comes to town for a Saturday exhibition at the MSU Soccer Field at 1 p.m.
UC becomes the first opponent from the "Power Six" to play at Morehead State since Butler came to town in August of 2019.
Saturday will be the Eagles' second and final scrimmage of the fall season. The Blue and Gold defeated the NAIA''s Pikeville 3-0 at home on Wednesday.
Cincinnati, however, offers a different challenge.
"They return a lot of players that played a lot of minutes last season. A lot of their games last fall were very close," MSU head coach Paul Cox said. "We are expecting a big, strong athletic team. We are looking to have a strong defensive display."
The Eagles only had 15 players dressed out for their first game, but another half dozen or so are expected to suit up on Saturday.
MSU will be putting its nine-game home unbeaten streak on the line. The Eagles won the last eight contests of the 2023 campaign and then added to it with the Pikeville victory this week.
Morehead State got significant contributions from multiple players on Wednesday. Newcomers especially made their presence felt. All three goalkeepers (freshmen
Claire Cress and
Lilly Bailey, and graduate student
Reegan Garrity) shared equal time in net to record the shutout. Freshman forward
BB Bonzheim scored the Blue and Gold's opening goal, while junior midfielder
Kennedy Baquero, a transfer from Sam Houston State, recorded two assists.
The returnees were responsible for the remaining points. Graduate student defender
Anna Lohrer and sophomore forward
Hedda Ornberg had the other two goals, while graduate student defender
Maddie Feldhaus added the third assist. Sophomore midfielder
Mary Trudeau led the team with four shots.
Cincinnati finished 4-8-7 overall and 2-3-5 in conference play in its first season in the Big XII last fall. It also was 0-4-5 on the road. The team scored 17 goals on 174 shots and surrendered 25 on 243 attempts. Graduate student goalkeeper Anna Rexford played every minute in the net and registered 71 saves and four shutouts.
The Bearcats return 15 players (nine of which were starters) from 2023, including their top four scorers: senior midfielder Fran Stables (19 games, 17 starts, 2 goals, 6 assists, 10 points, 21 shots) and senior forward Laura Zemberyova (15 games, 15 starts, 4 goals, 1 assist, 9 points, 22 shots). Graduate student forward/midfielder Ellie Flower and junior forward/midfielder Megan Smith both played 19 games, had 16 starts, scored 3 goals, collected 2 assists and tallied 8 points. Flower took 25 shots, while Smith had 24. Fourteen of the squad's 17 goals last fall came from players on the 2024 roster.
Erica Demers is entering her second season as the team's coach.
UC scrimmaged Northern Kentucky at home on Wednesday, but according to its athletic department, no score was kept, and stats were not recorded.
The Bearcats own a 3-0 series advantage over the Eagles, having won 3-0 in 2022, 4-0 in 2017 and 2-1 in 2010. According to available information, it is the first time Cincinnati has come to play at MSU. The two teams had no similar opponents last year.
Last year, the Blue and Gold finished their preseason with a 1-1 record, falling to Eastern Kentucky 1-0 and then defeating West Virginia State 4-0. Both games were at the MSU Soccer Field.
Morehead State will open the regular season at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 15 at Marshall. The Eagles' first official home game will be at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 25 against Detroit Mercy.
