2019 Year in Review: Racer Soccer

Under second-year head coach Matt Lodge, Murray State women's soccer turned in one of the most statistically-impressive seasons in program history during 2019. The Racers finished with an 11-8 record overall, with an 8-2 mark against OVC opponents, and were unbeaten at home during conference play – posting a perfect 5-0 record at Cutchin Field.

Murray State generated a program-record 27 goals in conference competition on the year, while its 2.32 goals per game through all competitions ranked 17^th in the nation. Consistently producing scoring opportunities, the Racers averaged 9.11 shots on goal, finishing the year at 5^th in the country among NCAA Division-I programs in that category. Playing one of the toughest nonconference schedules in program history, the Racers also owned a pair of top-100 wins (according to the final RPI) after they earned a 2-0 victory on the road over Samford, before securing a 2-1 triumph over Big Ten opponent Indiana at Cutchin Field. In 10 conference matches, the Racer defense was also tied for the fewest goals surrendered in the Ohio Valley Conference.

Individual Accomplishments
In addition to team achievements, the Racers also saw a plethora of individual accolades in 2019 - highlighted by five All-OVC selections. Miyah Watford, Abby Jones, and Izzy Heckman received first-team honors, while Watford became just the second player in program history to garner the title of OVC Offensive Player of the Year. Rounding out this year's conference awards would be freshmen Saraya Young and Lauren Payne, who both landed a spot on the OVC's All-Newcomer team for their performances in 2019. As for tournament awards, Miyah Watford and senior defender Karsyn Hasch would represent Murray State on the 2019 OVC All-Tournament team.

While Abby Jones already had an impressive list of accomplishments entering 2019, the sophomore from Powell, Ohio drew well-deserved national attention after she became the first player in program history, and the 20^th Racer athlete across all sports, to be named an Academic All-American by CoSIDA. Jones received Third Team Academic All-American recognition for her performances both on the field and in the classroom, posting a 4.00 GPA in Biology and Pre-Physician Assistant studies while also recording six goals and an OVC-leading 11 assists in her second year as a Racer.

The phrase "records are meant to be broken" definitely rang true in 2019, as an electric offensive attack entertained spectators all season long. Miyah Watford, who was named to the United Soccer Coaches All-South Region Team, led the OVC in goals (15) and total points (35) while also setting Murray State single-season records in both of those categories respectively.

Setting up many of Watford's goals would be Abby Jones, whose 11 assists broke Murray State's previous single-season assist record of 10 – which was also set by Jones during her freshman season a year ago. Additionally, Jones turned in a record-setting performance on September 22^nd, when she dished out four assists in the Racers' 5-0 victory over SIUE. The four assists is a new Murray State single-game record, while it also ties the OVC record as she became just the fifth player in OVC history to accomplish the feat.

Finally, the Racers claimed seven OVC weekly awards in 2019:

OVC Offensive Player of the Week: Miyah Watford (2), Abby Jones (1), Rebecca Kubin (1)
OVC Defensive Player of the Week: Izzy Heckman (2)
OVC Goalkeeper of the Week: Jamie Skarupsky (1)

Murray State University

Players Mentioned

Karsyn Hasch

Izzy Heckman

Abby Jones

Rebecca Kubin

Lauren Payne

Jamie Skarupsky

Miyah Watford

Saraya Young

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