MOREHEAD – Now riding a season-high four-game unbeaten streak, the Morehead State women's soccer team's Sunday's home game at the MSU Soccer Field is arguably its most significant match to date as it entertains Little Rock in a battle for Ohio Valley Conference supremacy.
But MSU and Little Rock might also have another foe in Sunday's game, the weather.
Still suffering the byproduct of rain and high winds from Hurricane Helene, the noon kickoff may also feature plenty of adverse elements.
That aside, Morehead State head coach Paul Cox has no illusions about the challenges his team will face against the Trojans.
"It's a big game. They've taken four points from six (possible) against two quality OVC opponents," he said. "We are an athletic, solid defensive team and it's got the makings of being a high-quality game."
Morehead State (5-3-3/2-0-0) enters holding the second-best mark after 11 contests in school history, trailing only the 2014 club, which posted a 5-2-4 record over that stretch. That team eventually went on to finish 11-6-5 overall and 5-3-2 in conference play.
The Blue and Gold tied Mercyhurst on the road 2-2, tied Radford at home 1-1, defeated Eastern Illinois at home 5-1 and toppled Western Illinois 2-0 on the road in its last four outings. The Eagles are 2-1-1 at home this year and are unbeaten there in their last two games.
MSU is the lone undefeated and untied team in the OVC, but Little Rock is in a three-way tie for second with a 1-0-1 record. Morehead State has started 2-0 in league competition in each of the last three seasons. In both of those previous campaigns, MSU tied its next game. The only time the squad started 3-0 against the OVC was in 2010, when it finished the year 7-0-1.
Like the Blue and Gold, Little Rock has been winning with defense. The Eagles top the league allowing just 1.09 goals per game, while the Trojans are third at 1.27 gpg. Morehead State also has the edge in opponent shots surrendered per game at 12.2 to 13.5. However, Little Rock has six shutouts to its credit, while the Eagles have just three.
Although defense has been MSU's calling card this season, of late the offense has stepped up. Over the last four games, the club is 2-0-2 and has outscored its opponent 10-4. During that stretch, the Blue and Gold has either equaled its opponents or surpassed them in shots each game, doubling the total output of its foes' attempts 74-37.
MSU is 5-0-3 when it has scored this season.
The Eagles are averaging 1.36 goals per game, 12.5 shots per game, 3.91 corner kicks per game, 8.55 fouls per game, 2.55 offside calls per game and 3.73 saves per game. Their opponents are averaging 1.09 gpg, 12.2 shots per game, 4.0 ckpg, 7.0 fpg, 3.27 offside calls per game and 4.09 saves per game.
Reigning OVC Offensive Player of the Week, sophomore forward
Hedda Ornberg, has been on fire with three goals and two assists in the last two outings. On the season, she leads the club with four goals and 10 points, is tied for second in assists (two) and third in shots (19). She also is first in shots on goal (14).
Freshmen forwards
Ava Peck and
Carlie Thurmond are tied for second on the team in goals, assists and points (three, two and eight, respectively). Thurmond has a 14-12 edge in shots. Junior midfielder
Kennedy Baquero adds three goals, six points, 24 shots and 12 shots on goal. Sophomore midfielder
Mary Trudeau has moved up the list in shots and now sits second with 20.
In goal, freshman
Lilly Bailey has come alive and owns a 2-1-2 record, a 1.28 goals against average, 18 saves, a .750 save percentage and one shutout. Her classmate,
Claire Cress, is 3-2-1, has a 0.95 gaa, 22 saves, a .786 save percentage and two shutouts.
Little Rock (4-5-2/1-0-1) started the year with a challenging non-conference slate and a 0-4-1 record. Since then, it is 3-1-1. It tied SIUE in Edwardsville, Ill., 1-1 in its most recent game (on Thursday). Prior to that, it won the two previous contests 2-0 at home over Mississippi Valley State and 1-0 at home against Tennessee Tech. The Trojans have held opponents scoreless for the last 276 minutes and seven seconds. Its last defeat came at the hands of Oral Roberts, 5-0, on Sunday, Sept. 15 in Little Rock.
The Arkansas-based school has struggled on the road, however, posting only a 1-3-2 mark. It rides a two-game unbeaten streak into town, having tied SIUE and defeated Central Arkansas (2-0) in its most recent away contests.
The club has only played one game this fall in which both teams scored, a 4-1 defeat at Grand Canyon on August 25. It is 4-0-2 when it holds its opponent scoreless and 0-4-2 when it is blanked.
As a team, it sports per-game averages of 1.18 gpg, 9.4 shots per game, 4.91 ckpg, 6.64 fpg, 2.91 offside violations per game and 5.36 saves per game. Its opponents are averaging 1.27 gpg, 13.5 shots per game, 6.18 ckpg, 6.91 fpg, 2.64 offside violations per game and 4.0 saves per game.
Sophomore midfielder Candice Kilderry and freshman forward Maria Schuller lead the Trojans with three goals, one assist and seven points apiece. Senior defender Mykena Turner adds two goals, two assists and six points, while senior forward Jaeda Centeno (one goal and three assists) and junior midfielder Serenity Thake (two goals, one assist) each have contributed five points. Centeno tops the club with 18 points, followed by Schuller with 12. Senior forward Abbie Smith is third with 10, while Kilderry has nine and Turner adds eight. Kilderry is the reigning OVC Defensive Player of the Week.
The OVC's Goalkeeper of the Week is junior Peyton Urban, who has started all 11 games in the Little Rock net this season. She has a 4-5-2 record, a 1.35 gaa, 53 saves, a .791 save percentage and has been a part of six shutouts.
Only four players have started every game, Kilderry, Smith, junior midfielder Amaya Arias and Urban. A total of 24 have gotten on the pitch at least once this season.
MSU is 4-1 all-time against Little Rock, including an undefeated mark since the Trojans became members of the OVC (2-0). The Blue and Gold won last year's game on the road 1-0 on September 17, and the 2022 contest 2-0 at home on October 2. Prior to that, the Eagles won 3-1 at home in 2000 and 2-1 on the road in overtime in 1999. In the very first meeting in Morehead State's inaugural season of 1998, the Trojans won 3-1.
Overall, MSU has won four straight in the series and is 2-0 in Morehead. The Eagles lead the scoring battle 9-5.
The game can be seen on ESPN+ at
https://shorturl.at/zOJ7r, with live stats available at
https://shorturl.at/417B9.
Sunday's promotions include "Pups at the Pitch" as well as free hot dogs.
The Eagles' next two outings are both on the road, at Tennessee Tech on Thursday, Oct. 3 and at UT Martin on Sunday, Oct. 6. Kickoff for the TTU game will be at 8 p.m. ET, with the UT Martin contest at 3 p.m. ET. MSU returns home to host Southern Indiana on Homecoming and Alumni Weekend, Sunday, Oct. 13 at 1 p.m.
