MOREHEAD, Ky. – The Morehead State women's soccer team will look to reverse its latest slide by attempting to pick up its first road win of the year when the Eagles travel to Charleston, Ill., to face upstart Ohio Valley Conference leader Eastern Illinois on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET at the Lakeside Field.
Morehead State (3-9/1-2) has dropped five of its last six games and has been outscored 11-3 during that stretch. One year after posting a school record for winning percentage in road games, the team is 0-5 away from home in 2025, and has fallen in six straight road outings, including the 2024 NCAA Tournament contest at Wake Forest. It is the longest such stretch since losing 11 straight between 2019-21.
Eastern Illinois (6-4-2/3-0-0) is headed in the opposite direction. The Panthers are 2-1-1 at home this season, have not lost since August 31 and have outscored their opponents 10-1 over that span.
MSU head coach
Paul Cox is aware of the trajectory of the two clubs.
"We seem to play teams that are on good form," he said. "EIU are unbeaten in six, haven't conceded (a goal) in five (games), but we've prepared well this week and are ready to turn a corner."
The Eagles have not played in a week. They faced Lindenwood last Sunday at home, where they fell to the Lions 3-0. Prior to that, they dropped a 1-0 road decision to Southern Indiana on Thursday, Sept. 25. Their last win was on September 21 at home over Western Illinois (1-0).
MSU is 1-3-2 in the last two years playing after a week off. This is the third weeklong break of the season for the Blue and Gold.
So far this season, the Eagles have played in four 1-0 games and nine in which only one team scored.
Morehead State has posted five straight contests with double-digit shots, after only recording two through the first seven outings. The Blue and Gold has been outscored 26-6 this season. The last time it scored just six goals through 12 games was in 2018. The last time it allowed 26 goals through 12 games was in 2007.
In team statistics, Morehead State is averaging 0.5 goals per game, 10.3 shots per game, 3.67 shots on goal per game, 2.83 corner kicks per game, 8.0 fouls per game, 0.83 offside violations per game, 5.83 saves per game and 0.83 cards per game. Its opponents average 2.17 gpg, 15.92 shots per game, 7.83 shots on goal per game, 5.5 ckpg, 9.0 fpg, 1.67 offside violations per game, 3.33 saves per game and 0.67 cpg.
Senior midfielder
Kennedy Baquero continues to lead the team with two goals, one assist and five points. She has taken eight shots. Freshman forward
Jade Walton is the only other player with a goal and an assist. She has three points and has taken a team-leading 21 shots. Graduate student midfielder
Karissa Vela, and freshmen defenders
Faith Peper and
Addison Petry, each have one goal. Sophomore forward
Carlie Thurmond and junior midfielder/defender
Hannah Burke each have two assists. Freshman defender/midfielder
Hailey Repreza has the team's other assist.
Walton leads in shots, with Vela second at 16, sophomore forward
Ava Peck at 15 and Thurmond at 12. No other player has reached double digits.
Sophomore goalkeeper
Claire Cress has started every game. She has a 3-9 record, a 2.09 goals-against average, 65 saves, a .732 save percentage and three shutouts.
Eastern Illinois has won its last three games, claiming a 1-0 victory at UT Martin last Sunday, a 4-0 win at Western Illinois the previous Thursday and a 2-0 victory versus SIU Edwardsville at home on Sunday, Sept. 21. The team is undefeated in its last two games at Lakeside Field, including a 1-1 tie versus Indiana State.
Overall, the club is undefeated in six games and seven of its last eight.
As a team, EIU averages 1.17 gpg, 9.2 shots per game, 4.42 shots on goal per game, 4.42 ckpg, 8.42 fpg,
1.25 offside flags per game, 4.58 saves per game and 0.5 cpg. Its opponents average 1.08 gpg, 12.6 saves per game, 5.67 shots on goal per game, 4.92 ckpg, 9.67 fpg, 1.25 offside violations per game, 3.25 saves per game and 0.33 cpg.
The Panthers swept the most recent Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Week awards. Junior forward Alex Tetteh is the Offensive Player of the Week, freshman defender Adison Welsh is the Defensive Player of the Week and junior Ella Kratochvil is the Goalkeeper of the Week.
Tetteh leads the squad with six goals, one assist, 13 points and 25 shots. She has scored the last five goals. Junior forward Abby Reinl is next with five goals and 10 points. She has 24 shots. Senior midfielder Ella Onstott has one goal, three assists, five points and eight shots. Sophomore midfielder Ella Dwyer and junior forward Katiebeth May have the team's other two goals. Tetteh, Reinl, senior midfielder Kate Germano and sophomore defender Colleen Bauer are the only Panthers to start every game this year. Of the 28 players to have seen the field this fall, 22 have taken a shot.
Kratochvil has started all but one contest. She has a 6-3-2 record, a 0.82 gaa, 52 saves, an .852 save percentage and six shutouts.
Coach Dirk Bennett is in his third year leading the team. He has a 15-21-12 overall record.
MSU and Eastern Illinois have met 31 times. It is tied for the third-most meetings in Eagle history, trailing only the 34 contests against UT Martin and the 32 outings against Southeast Missouri. The Panthers lead 10-15-6.
EIU dominated the early meetings, winning the first nine. It also owns a 2-10-4 mark at home. However, Morehead State is undefeated in the last four outings, including tying 1-1 in Charleston in both 2021 and 2023, and 0-0 in Morehead in 2022. Prior to that, the Panthers won three in a row, and before that, the Blue and Gold won three straight.
Last fall, the Eagles won 5-1 at home. It tied for MSU's most goals in the series. In that game, Morehead State outshot EIU 24-8. Both teams had six corner kicks. MSU had more fouls (9-3) and the lone card. The Panthers had more saves (5-3) and were flagged for being offside more times (4-2).
Hedda Ornberg had a hat trick in that game. Baquero and Burke each had a goal. Peck had an assist. Reinl scored for EIU. Redshirt junior Ashlyn Hoover was in the net for the Panthers.
Lilly Bailey minded the net for the Blue and Gold.
Eastern Illinois is undefeated in the last four meetings in Charleston, tying 1-1 in September of 2023 and September of 2021, falling 1-0 in double overtime in March of 2021, and then dropping a 3-0 decision in October of 2019. MSU's last win in Illinois was on October 1, 2017, 3-1. Before that, Morehead State came out on top 2-0 in double overtime in October of 2015.
The game will be available on ESPN+ at the link:
https://shorturl.at/5uBdY.
Live stats can be viewed at the link:
https://shorturl.at/dkoIS.
Tennessee Tech makes a trip to Morehead to face the Eagles in MSU's next game, Thursday, Oct. 9 at 4 p.m.
