MOREHEAD, Ky. -- Morehead State Soccer claimed its first Ohio Valley Conference victory today, taking down Western Illinois 1-0, today, in Macomb, Ill., at John MacKenzie Alumni Field.

Morehead State scored its second goal and second shutout of the conference season, keeping their hopes alive to potentially host a playoff game if the Eagles finish as the sixth seed.

"This game was a great response from last Sunday's game against EIU," said Head Coach Paul Cox. "We came in and showed a lot of fight, had two big chances to score early in the second half and take the lead. Our attacking performance was pretty solid, as was our defensive. I want to praise Amira (Hendrick) for the penalty save, bouncing back from a mistake she made to keep us in the game, and Jade (Walton) coming up big for us in the end. I also want to give a special mention to Brett (Ekperuoh), he took the last 30 minutes of the game, after I got the red card. I trusted him whole-heartedly, and he got us over the line today. He's going to lead us into the next game as I sit out, but I'm very happy we got three points."

Morehead State and Western Illinois kicked off at 2:00 p.m. ET under overcast skies and temperatures in the upper 70s. 

The Leathernecks recorded the first shot of the contest. Claire Brown found the ball on the right of the field and took a shot towards the back post, but Eagle goalkeeper Amira Hendrick recorded the save.

Morehead State's first and second shot came off the foot of Faith Peper, but both shots were saved by WIU goalkeeper Mahee-Lee Caron. 

WIU created a corner kick in the 17th minute, allowing Sammy Hunt an attempt at a header in the box, but her shot was saved by Hendrick.

MSU had a big chance to score in the 18th minute when Jade Walton broke free in stride down the middle of the field. Caron made a diving stop to deflect the ball away from the goal.

In the 26th minute Peper attempted another shot, but it was Caron once again recording a save.

Caron kicked the ball down field to her teammates in stride, and Brown one again attempted a shot, but Hendrick pulled it down to record her third save of the half.

The final shot of the half came off the foot of MSU's Ava Peck, but Caron recorded her fifth save of the half and the game remained even at halftime.

In the first four minutes of the second half, Ashton Lynam and Walton each had major opportunities to score, but Caron saved each of their attempts.

Leathernecks' Simone Thorst took a deep shot in the 50th minute, but left it out in front for Hendrick to record the save.

In the 62nd minute, Charlotte Lee attempted a free kick shot that was saved by Caron.

Just one minute later, Hendrick was given a yellow card due to a play in the box. MSU Head Coach Paul Cox was given a red card following the yellow card to Hendrick, and assistant coach Brett Ekperuoh finished the game leading the Eagles.

WIU's Rita Moran was given the massive opportunity to convert on the resulting penalty kick, but her shot was saved by Hendrick, as the Eagle goalkeeper erupted in excitement following the play. It was MSU's first saved PK since Claire Cress did so against Wake Forest in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

Western Illinois had a major opportunity to score the go-ahead goal in the 74th minute, but Hendrick made a sliding stop to kick the ball away from Ashton Conkling.

In the 75th minute, Morehead State forced a turnover in open field. Peck dribbled the ball to the left sideline, crossed it into the box for Walton, allowing Walton to spin and fire the eventual game winning goal into the back right of the net.

Walton's goal was her fourth of the season, officially taking the team lead in goals.

"Failure is not the opposite of success it's a part of success," Walton said. "We had a few chances in the beginning of the game but we kept shooting, and thank God for Amira (Hendrick) becuase we eventually got one!"

WIU's final attempt on goal came in the 81st minute off the foot of Nelly Beliveau, but Hendrick recorded her seventh and final save of the contest, completing the shutout and helping the Eagles secure its first win in 38 days.

Morehead State improved to 6-10-1 (1-4-1 in conference) while Western Illinois fell to 2-15 and 1-5 in the conference.

The Eagles led in shots (18-13), corners (6-5) and fouls (16-15), while Caron led Hendrick in saves, 9-7. Each team was flagged for one offside, and Morehead State had claimed the singular yellow and red card.

Hendrick became the first Morehead State Eagle to record two shutouts in her first three starts since Erin Gibbs in 2022, when she recorded shutouts against Southern Indiana and Eastern Illinois.

She also became the first Morehead State Eagle to save 18 of the first 19 shots on goal that she faced since 2022 when Erin Gibbs saved 23 of the first 24 shots on goal that she faced.

With the victory, the Blue and Gold doubled its win total from last year, marking just the sixth time in school history that feat has been accomplished. It last occurred in 2021.

Morehead State will be back in action against Southern Indiana at MSU Soccer Field in Morehead, Ky., next Sunday, on Nov. 1, for the final regular season game of the 2026 season.

If the Eagles take down the Screaming Eagles on Nov. 1 and Western Illinois falls at Lindenwood, MSU would claim the sixth seed in the Ohio Valley Conference tournament and would host its first round playoff game.