MOREHEAD, Ky. – It is Homecoming Weekend at Morehead State and MSU women's soccer coach
Paul Cox has characterized Thursday's home game against UT Martin as a "must win" for the Eagles.
The two teams will face each other at 1 p.m. at the MSU Soccer Field with quite a bit at stake for both teams. Spots in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament field are on the line.
"It's a must win for both programs," Cox said. "We've got a driven and good-spirited group that's ready to get our season going. There's still so much to play for."
Morehead State (3-12-0/1-5-0) is looking to snap a season-high five-game skid and improve upon its 3-5 home record.
The Eagles' last win was at home on September 21, a 1-0 decision over Western Illinois. Since then, the club has fallen at Southern Indiana 1-0, at home to Lindenwood 3-0, at Eastern Illinois 1-0, at home to Tennessee Tech 4-1 and at Little Rock this past Sunday 4-1.
MSU is in danger of missing the OVC Tournament for the first time since the 2021 spring season. The good news is the teams remaining on its schedule are all near them in the conference standings: UT Martin (1-3-2, five points), SIU Edwardsville (1-3-2, five points) and Southeast Missouri (2-3-1, seven points). The Blue and Gold has three points and sits in ninth, only ahead of Western Illinois. The top eight teams qualify for the postseason. A win on Thursday would move the Eagles into the top eight as well as equaling the 2021 team's victory total.
Another positive point is that Morehead State does not have a team remaining on its schedule with a winning record. Four of its five most recent opponents have entered the matchup with at least a four-game unbeaten streak.
The Eagles scored in both games this past week, just the third time they have recorded a goal in back-to-back contests this fall. MSU has been outscored 35-8 overall but has had more success at home trailing 17-6. The offensive boost has come at the right time, because the team is skirting with falling short of its fewest goals in school history (10) in a non-Covid campaign.
Going along with its recent scoring uptick is a streak of having reached double-digit shot attempts in its last eight games. Through the first seven outings of the season, the club surpassed that mark just three times.
To date, a total of 15 players have missed 71 regular season games this season for a variety of reasons. There are four Eagles who will be out for the remainder of the year either as redshirts or with injuries.
MSU has received contributions from newcomers recently. Freshman forward
Lily Burt scored her first career goal on just her second shot in last Thursday's game with Tennessee Tech and redshirt sophomore goalkeeper
Sofia Rodriguez earned just her second start in Sunday's matchup at Little Rock.
As a team, the Eagles are averaging 0.53 goals per game, 10.93 shots per game, 4.13 shots on goal per game, 2.67 corner kicks per game, 8.47 fouls per game, 1.07 offside calls per game, 5.53 saves per game and 0.67 cards per game. Their opponents are averaging 2.33 gpg, 15.73 shots per game, 7.13 shots on goal per game, 5.2 ckpg, 8.87 fpg, 1.73 offside calls per game, 3.67 saves per game and 0.8 cpg.
Nine players have points this season. Senior midfielder
Kennedy Baquero continues to lead the squad with two goals, one assist and five points. She also has taken 10 shots. Freshman defender
Faith Peper scored her second goal on Sunday and now has four points and 12 shots. Junior midfielder/defender
Hannah Burke has a team-best four assists. Freshman forward
Jade Walton and graduate student midfielder
Karissa Vela each have one goal and one assist. Walton leads the club with 32 shots. Vela is second with 22.
Sophomore Clarie Cress has seen most of the action in goal this fall. She has a 3-10-0 record, a 2.26 goals-against average, 73 saves, a .745 save percentage and three shutouts.
Only one Eagle has started all 15 games this season, junior midfielder/defender
Hannah Carter.
UT Martin (1-7-7/1-3-2) tied Tennessee Tech 1-1 on the road this past Sunday to snap a three-game losing skid. Prior to that, it fell 1-0 at home to Little Rock, lost 2-1 at Southeast Missouri and dropped a 1-0 home decision to Eastern Illinois. In the four previous games, the Skyhawks posted a 1-0-3 mark.
UTM has a 1-3-2 record away from home, with its lone win coming at Lindenwood 4-2 on September 25, making it 1-1-1 in its last three outings.
Like the Eagles, the Skyhawks have only scored eight goals this season. However, they have just allowed 13.
As a team, it posts averages of 0.53 gpg, 12.2 shots per game, 5.87 shots on goal per game, 3.47 ckpg, 8.27 fpg, 0.93 offside violations per game, 5.33 saves per game and 0.53 cpg. Its opponents average 0.87 gpg, 14.9 shots per game, 6.2 shots on goal per game, 5.87 ckpg, 6.73 fpg, 0.73 offside flags per game, 5.33 saves per game and 0.73 cpg.
Individually, junior forward Peyton Cook tops the club with three goals, two assists, eight points and 29 shots. Sophomore defender Anna Ostergaard Ibsen contributes two goals, four points and 11 shots. Three other players have scored: redshirt freshman midfielder Ava Huntrods, redshirt freshman forward Kylee Thompson and senior defender Shayla Addington. Four Skyhawks have one assist: freshman forward Alexandra Weihs, sophomore midfielder Unni Wolf, graduate student midfielder/forward Audrey Fuchs and redshirt sophomore midfielder/defender Ayja McCleary. Weihs is tied with Cook for the team lead in shots. Wolfe is third with 22 and redshirt junior midfielder Allie Buchmann adds 20. Five players have started every game: Cook, Addington, Weihs, Buchmann and graduate student defender Parker Gelinas.
Redshirt senior goalkeeper Mac Titus has been the anchor in the net, starting 13 games and boasting a 1-5-7 record, with a 0.85 gaa, 67 saves, an .859 save percentage and five shutouts.
Mike Varga is in his third season as the team's head coach. He has a 10-26-16 record.
MSU and UTM have a nearly even rivalry, with the Skyhawks holding a 16-15-3 edge. It is so close that the teams are nearly split in home and away matches, with UT Martin leading in each 7-6, with two ties in Morehead and one tie in Martin, Tenn. The two teams have met each year since the Eagles began their program in 1998.
The Blue and Gold is riding a five-game unbeaten streak in the series, having won 1-0 twice last year. The first meeting came in Martin and the second in Evansville, Ind., at the OVC Tournament. The last time the two faced off in Morehead (2023), the Eagles claimed a 2-0 victory. Prior to that, the pair tied 0-0 in the 2022 OVC Tournament at MSU, with the Blue and Gold advancing 5-4 on penalty kicks. The Eagles also won 3-1 at UTM in the 2022 regular season.
Morehead State has outscored the Skyhawks 4-0 in the last four contests. In total, MSU is 1-1-1 in the last three matches at home, with UT Martin claiming a 1-0 win in October of 2021. Since 2014, the Blue and Gold hold an 8-4-2 advantage.
In last year's tournament contest,
Hedda Ornberg scored two minutes and 48 seconds into the game and that goal held up for the duration. UTM outshot the Eagles 16-14 and had an 8-6 edge in corner kicks. Both teams had eight saves, while Morehead State had more fouls (5-3) and UT Martin had more offside calls (3-2).
In last year's first meeting, senior midfielder
Kamryn Baquero had an unassisted goal at 38:34 that turned out to be the difference. UTM again outshot the Eagles (22-18) and had more corner kicks (6-3). MSU had more saves (12-8) and fouls (9-8). Both teams drew three offside flags.
As part of Homecoming festivities, the promotion will be a free grill out lunch provided by Aramark.
For ticket information, click the link:
https://www.etix.com/ticket/v/16917.
Live stats can be found at the link:
https://shorturl.at/LEf9c.
The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and can be viewed at the link:
https://shorturl.at/0BdpG.
Morehead State only has two games remaining in its regular season. It will travel to Illinois on Sunday to meet SIU Edwardsville at 4 p.m. ET. The Eagles will wrap up the campaign at home on Sunday, Oct. 26 against Southeast Missouri at 2 p.m.
The OVC Tournament will begin on Thursday, Oct. 30.
