Racers to Open 2020-21 Campaign on the Road in Morehead

Tuesday, March 2

Morehead, Ky.

2 P.M.

Murray State

Morehead State

Racers to Open 2020-21 Campaign on the Road in Morehead

3/1/2021 4:13:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Live Coverage Links

Murray State Soccer returns to competitive action for the first time in 479 days

Dates: March 2^nd, 2021 – 2 PM
Site (Venue): Morehead, Ky. (Jayne Stadium)
Live Stream: ESPN+
Live Coverage Links: goracers.com/coverage
Murray State Record (Streak): 0-0 (-)
Morehead State Record (Streak): 0-0 (-)
Racers All-Time vs. Morehead State: 13-10-1
MSU Next Game: March 5^th vs. Eastern Kentucky (Murray, Ky.)

Murray State women's soccer will open the 2020-21 campaign on Tuesday when they travel to Morehead State for a clash with the Eagles. The match begins what will be a ten-game conference-only schedule due to COVID-19 postponing the fall season to the spring. The match will be streamed on ESPN+ with live stats coverage available on goracers.com. Kickoff is slated for 2:00 p.m. central.

All-Time Series:
Tuesday's contest will mark the 25^th meeting between the two schools, with Murray State holding a 13-10-1 advantage in the all-time series. The Racers have won six-straight against the Eagles entering Tuesday's season opener, among those being a thrilling 2-1 Racer victory in their most recent meeting thanks to an Izzy Heckman 90^th minute winner on the road in Morehead on October 4, 2019.

A Look at the Racers:
Head Coach Matt Lodge enters his third season at the helm of a Racer team that has posted a 40-5-5 OVC record to accompany four conference titles and three NCAA Tournament appearances over the last five seasons.

The 2019 campaign came to a disappointing end, however, when MSU was upset by Belmont in the OVC Tournament semifinals after earning the #2 seed thanks to an 8-2 regular season conference record a year ago.

Murray State, who was picked #1 in the OVC preseason poll, will undoubtedly play with a chip on its shoulder in the new season as they return nearly the entire starting eleven from the previous campaign.

The Racers are coming off one of their most statistically impressive seasons in 2019 when they 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 in the country in that category. In conference competition, the Racer defense was also tied for the fewest goals surrendered in the Ohio Valley Conference.

While the Racers will have to replace the reigning OVC Offensive Player of the Year in Miyah Watford, the Racers are led by a pair of All-OVC First Team selections in Abby Jones and Izzy Heckman, and two All-OVC newcomers in Saraya Young and Lauren Payne. Also returning to lead a potent Racer attack is senior Rebecca Kubin, who netted seven goals in 2019.

Jones, a sophomore from Powell, Ohio who earned CoSIDA Academic All-American honors in 2019, enters the season tied with Rebekah Clay (2005-2008) for the most assists in program history with 21 in her career.

The Racers also have a new face in their coaching staff in assistant coach Paul Cox. The Andover, England native comes to Murray State after spending three seasons as the head women's soccer coach at Briar Cliff University (NAIA) in Sioux City, Iowa where he's fresh off a Great Plains Athletic Conference championship in 2020.

Scouting Morehead State:
The Eagles were picked 10^th in this year's OVC preseason poll after they finished with a 2-6-2 conference record in 2019. They conceded 2.22 goals per game, while scoring just 0.72 per game themselves. However, despite the numbers, the Eagles return all ten of their goal scorers from a year ago, including Nicole Palmer who paced her side with three goals. The junior defender from Philadelphia also led her side in points (7) and shots (35) in the previous campaign.

Key returners also include the 2016 OVC Freshman of the Year in Ashley Ritchie, and sophomore goalkeeper Kayla Landman who recorded three shutouts in 2019. The Eagles will also get Colleen Swift back in the lineup after the 2018 All-OVC Newcomer selection missed all of last season due to injury.