Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
Evansville
Women’s Soccer Readies For Season Opening Weekend
8/22/2013 4:21:00 PM | Women's Soccer
Match Notes | Live Stats vs. UE | Live Stats vs. NKU
The Murray State women's soccer team will kick-off its 2013 campaign this weekend with a pair of away matches with regional foes. On Friday, the Racers will make the short drive to Indiana for a show-down with Evansville, followed by a Sunday trip to Northern Kentucky.
On Tuesday, the Racers closed out their 2013 preseason by topping Southern Indiana, 2-1, at Cutchin Field. Junior Julie Mooney helped the Racers get on the board quickly in the contest when she fired a laser shot from about 18-yards out in the 17th minute to give her team an early 1-0 lead. However, the Screaming Eagles answered just five minutes later on a cross from Emily Cummings that was headed into the goal by Katelan Carneal to tie the game at one.
The remainder of the half was scoreless, as was the majority of the second, despite the Racers placing 13 of 23 shots on goal over the full 90 minutes. Just when the game looked to be a certain draw, Mooney dribbled through several Southern Indiana defenders and fired another rocket from around 10-yards out to put MSU on top for good at 2-1.
Freshman Savannah Haberman turned in another outstanding performance in the goal by coming up with seven saves and allowing just one goal in 90 minutes. As a team the Racers outshot the Screaming Eagles, 23-11, and placed 13 of those shots on goal compared to just eight by USI.
The win on Tuesday give the Racers a perfect 2-0 exhibition record to start the season, after rallying from 1-0 down to top Chattanooga on their home pitch, 3-1, last Saturday. Mooney's brace against USI gives her three goals in the Racers' two preseason matches, accounting for 60-percent of the team's total offense.
Friday will mark the ninth meeting MSU and Evansville, with the Purple Aces holding a distinct 7-1 advantage. The Racers picked up their only win of the series in 2009 when they topped UE at Cutchin Field, 1-0. Since the Murray State win, the Purple Aces have won each of the last two meetings, including last season's 2-0 win in Murray. This year's meeting will be the fourth time the two teams have met at McCutchan Stadium, where UE is a perfect 3-0 against MSU.
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The Purple Aces are coming off of a tough 2012 campaign that saw them go 5-8-3 overall and exit the MVC tournament in the first round. However, the 2013 campaign will see the return of UE's top goal scorers and assist leaders from last season, sophomore Abby Springer and senior Stephanie Thompson, as well as its leading goalkeeper Simone Busby.
Springer and Thompson led the Purple Aces with five goals and two assists each last season, while Busby posted 56 saves and a goals against average of 0.48. In the preseason, UE suffered two away losses, 2-0 to Austin Peay and 2-1 to Wight State. Freshman Emily Griebel scored the lone UE goal of the two exhibition matches when she found the back of the net in the 74th minute at Wright State.
Sunday will be just the second meeting between Murray State and Northern Kentucky, with the Norse winning the first meeting last season 4-2 in Murray. This will be the Racers' first-ever trip to Highland Heights.
After years as a Division II power, the Norse finished their first season in Division I at 6-11 overall and 3-6 in the Atlantic Sun. The good news for NKU is that it will see return of its leading scorer and assist leader, Megan Frye and Allison Ponzer, who led their respective categories with six, as well as Maria Silbersack who had four goals and four assists.
The Norse dropped a pair of preseason matches earlier this month; a 3-1 decision at Indiana State and a 3-1 loss to IUPUI at home. Casey McMillan, a redshirt freshman transfer from Louisville, scored the lone goal against Indiana State, while Ponzer had the only goal in the IUPUI match. Two of NKU's four new goalkeepers saw action in the two matches with Western Kentucky transfer Tanner Ruberg playing the full 90 against the Sycamores and freshman Kelly Neumann getting minutes against the Jaguars.
Match time for Friday at Evansville is 6 p.m., while Sunday's game at NKU is scheduled for an 11 a.m. kickoff. Live stats will be available for both matches and links can be found at GoRacers.com.
