Racers Open 18th Season Sunday Home Against Marshall

The Murray State women's soccer team opens the 2017 season Sunday at home against the Marshall Thundering Herd. The 2 p.m. match at Cutchin Field marks the beginning of the Racers' 18^th season of collegiate soccer.
The game will offered free online at OVCDigitalNetwork.com with Blake Bernier and Ross Meloan calling the action. Live stats are available at GoRacers.com.

Head Coach Jeremy Groves brings his fourth edition into the 2017 season with loads of confidence and expectations. MSU has won an outright Ohio Valley Conference title in 2015 and last season, they won a share of the title. It was no surprise that the Racers were picked first in the recent preseason poll of OVC head coaches and sports information directors.

The Racers are and 35-19-4 in the Coach Groves era which includes a 24-3-3 mark in OVC play. At the friendly pitch of Cutchin Field, the Racers own an impressive record of 22-4-1 in the same period.

Any conversation of the Racers as to start with forward Harriet Withers. The senior from Australia is the two-time OVC offensive MVP and her 25 career goals puts her in a spot to make a run at the all-time mark at MSU of 34 by Theresa Reedy (2001-04). Withers is a lot more than a goal scorer, she's eight assists from catching Rebekah Clay (2005-08) who has the MSU record with 21.

MSU also returns All-OVC defender Nyomi Devine and All-OVC Newcomer Karsyn Hasch, also a defender. Junior goalkeeper Alex Steigerwald is back this season after making 90 saves in 2016, which was third in the OVC.

Already in two exhibition wins over Evansville and Western Kentucky, the Racers have put up seven goals with five of them coming from newcomers to the squad. Samford transfer Miyah Watford scored a pair of goals in the Evansville game.

Match Notes
Murray State is 6-10-1 in all-time season openers. In the 2015 season opener, the Racers scored a 2-1 win at Mississippi State.

When it comes to home openers, this game marks the first time the Racers have opened the season at home since a 2014 loss at Cutchin Field to Arkansas State.

The Racers have four all-time wins against Conference USA teams with the last one coming against Louisiana Tech at home in 2015.

Murray State has played Marshall only once in its history. In 2008, the Thundering Herd visited Cutchin Field and battled the Racers to a 2-2 tie.

The Racers enter the 2017 with an all-time record of 142-152-34.

MSU is 80-57-13 all-time at Cutchin Field.

MSU has had three-straight winning seasons in the Coach Groves era.

Alex Steigerwald enters her junior season second all-time with a goals-against-average of .98.

After the opener against Marshall, the Racers hit the road for a three-game trip that will take them to Troy (Aug. 25), South Alabama (Aug. 27) and Northern Kentucky (Sep. 3). The Racers are back at home (Sept. 8) when they host Little Rock.

Marshall Started its 2017 season with a 4-1 loss at UT Martin on Friday. The Thundering Herd was picked ninth of 14 teams in the CUSA preseason poll.

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Players Mentioned

Nyomi Devine

Karsyn Hasch

Alex Steigerwald

Miyah Watford

Harriet Withers

Murray State University Athletics