MOREHEAD – After playing five of its first six games on the road, the Morehead State women's soccer team will entertain Northern Kentucky on Sunday at 1 p.m., at the MSU Soccer Field. It will be just the second home outing this season for the Eagles.
Morehead State (3-2-1) enters the game riding a school-record nine-game unbeaten streak that dates to August 17, 2023. The previous high mark was six. MSU is 5-0-4 during that stretch.
Northern Kentucky (1-5-0) defeated the Eagles 3-0 last year in Highland Heights, Ky., but enter Sunday's contest after dropping a 3-1 decision at home versus Eastern Kentucky on Thursday and sports a 0-2 overall mark in road games. Dating back to last fall's conference championship game against host Wisconsin-Milwaukee, the Norse have dropped three straight away from home.
"NKU made the championship game in the Horizon League last season and return a lot of that squad," Morehead State head coach Paul Cox said. "They are a dynamic and athletic team who will pose a real challenge for us. We are looking to bounce back at the earliest opportunity following Thursday's defeat."
Morehead State had its three-game win streak stopped on Thursday with a 3-0 decision at Wright State. It was the largest defeat for the Blue and Gold since falling 5-0 to top-ranked Florida State in the opening round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament. It also was the team's second shutout of the season.
The result dropped the team's road mark to 2-2-1 on the year and 5-3-1 in its last nine outings away from home. It also likely means the Eagles' stay as the No. 10 team in the United Soccer Coaches' South Region rankings will be only one week.
The Eagles' stretch of holding their opponents scoreless ended at 274 minutes and 13 seconds, just eight minutes and 23 seconds into the Wright State game. Yet, defense remains the team's strong point. MSU is holding its opponents to 1.17 goals per game, 13.8 shots per game and 4.5 corner kicks per game. They also are averaging 7.17 fouls per game and 3.5 offside calls per game. The Blue and Gold have made 22 saves in net.
Morehead State is averaging 0.83 gpg, 9.7 shots per game, 3.67 ckpg, 9.5 fpg and are being flagged 2.5 times per game. Its opponents have made 21 saves.
Individually, freshman forward
Carlie Thurmond remains the team's offensive leader with two goals, one assist and five points. Junior midfielder
Kennedy Baquero has moved ahead in total shots with 11. Thurmond has 10. Baquero has one goal this season. Freshman forward
Ava Peck chimes in with one goal and one assist. Sophomore forward
Hedda Ornberg has the squad's other goal.
Freshman
Claire Cress remains the starting goalkeeper. She owns a 1.03 goals against average, 20 saves, a .769 save percentage, a 3-2-1 record and two shutouts. Cress is the Ohio Valley Conference's Goalkeeper of the Week.
Graduate student defender
Anna Lohrer is the two-time reigning OVC Defensive Player of the Week. Both she and sophomore midfielder
Mary Trudeau had their streak of playing every minute of every game stopped against Wright State.
Northern Kentucky defeated Mercyhurst 2-1 at home on Sunday, Sept. 1, for the team's lone victory so far this season. The Norse have been outscored 16-5, but all five of their goals have come in the last four games.
NKU is tallying 0.83 gpg, while its opponents are recording 2.67 gpg. It has taken 13.2 shots per game to its foes' 15.3 shots per game. The Norse add 5.17 ckpg, 8.17 fpg and have been flagged for being offside seven times. The opposition is averaging 3.83 ckpg, 10.33 fpg and 2.0 offside calls per game.
Five different players have the team's goals and only two individuals have an assist. Senior defender Lydia Self leads the squad with 11 shots, followed by junior forward Emilie Doersching with nine; graduate student forward Sofia Wilmes, junior midfielder Shay Shipley and senior defender Lilly Yordy all with seven; and junior forward Meghan Belrose with six. Belrose, freshman midfielder/defender Caitlin Evans, Self, Shipley and Yordy have the goals. Freshman defender Greta Harmeyer and senior defender Maria Wiefering each has an assist.
Three different goalkeepers have spent time in the net. Sophomore Donna Bundy leads the group with three starts and 284 minutes and 51 seconds of action. She has a 1.90 gaa, six saves for a .5000 save percentage and a 1-2-0 record. Junior Tristen Cross also has three starts and has spent 177 minutes and 17 seconds on the pitch. She has a 4.51 gaa, but counters with 17 saves and a .654 save percentage. She is 0-3-0.
Only five Norse have started every game. A total of 18 players have made it onto the pitch.
It will be Morehead State's second straight game where it enters with a decisive series deficit. Northern Kentucky is 6-0-1 all-time against the Eagles. Last year in Highland Heights, the Norse won 3-0. The lone tie came in 2014 (1-1 in double overtime at NKU). It is one of three games that went into overtime in the series.
This will be the Norse's third trip to Morehead, with two of the three meetings going to extra time. Northern Kentucky has a 3-0 lead in those matchups. Overall, NKU holds a 13-4 edge in goals. Only three of the outcomes resulted in a shutout. MSU has never scored more than one goal in a game against the Norse.
The game can be viewed on ESPN+ at
https://es.pn/3MFcNWt. Live stats can be found at
https://bit.ly/3Tk16Iq.
It also is Family Weekend at MSU and the game's theme is "Sunday FunDay".
Morehead State will go back on the road one last time before the conference campaign starts. That game will be Sunday, Sept. 15 at first-year Division I foe Mercyhurst. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. Radford will come to Morehead on Thursday, Sept. 19 for a 4 p.m. tilt in the Eagles' final non-conference outing. The OVC season begins on Sunday, Sept. 22 with Eastern Illinois at MSU.
