Murray State
SIUE
OVC's Top Sides Collide as Racers Make Friday Trek to SIUE
3/25/2021 7:52:00 PM | Women's Soccer
Racers with 18 points on top of the league, Cougars on 16 points entering the pivotal conference contest
Date: March 26, 2021 – 7 PM
Site (Venue): Edwardsville, Ill. (Korte Stadium)
Live Stream: ESPN+
Live Coverage Links: goracers.com/coverage
Murray State Record (Streak): 6-1 (Won 1)
SIUE Record (Streak): 5-0-1 (Tied 1)
Racers All-Time vs. SIUE: 4-8-1
MSU Next Game: April 2nd at Southeast Missouri
MSU Next Home Game: April 6th vs. Eastern Illinois
Murray State women's soccer is set to kick off a two-game road trip on Friday night when they travel to Edwardsville, Illinois for a clash with SIUE. The matchup will feature a battle of two sides at the top of the OVC table, with Murray State (6-1) leading the way with 18 points, and SIUE (5-0-1) currently sitting in a tie with Southeast Missouri on 16 points in second with a game in hand. Friday's pivotal encounter will be streamed on ESPN+ with live stats available on goracers.com. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m.
All-Time Series:
Friday will mark the 14th meeting between the two sides, with SIUE holding the advantage with an 8-4-1 record in the all-time series. The Racers have won two of the last three against SIUE, including a 5-0 thrashing at home a season ago. Murray State has never won on the road in Edwardsville, however, earning just a single point via a 1-1 draw in 2016 in five opportunities.
A Look at the Racers:
The Racers have doubled up their opponents this season, outscoring them 14-7 through seven games. Murray State's two goals per game ranks second in the OVC, while they are conceding once per outing on average – good for fifth in the league. The Racers and sophomore goalkeeper Jenna Villacres have posted two clean sheets on the year after earning a 1-0 victory over Tennessee Tech on Tuesday.
Individually, Rebecca Kubin's eight points (three goals, two assists) are tied for fourth in the conference, while sophomore Lilly Strader's 20 total shots are tied for the most in the league. Abby Jones' three assists on the year are tied for third-most in the OVC, while freshman Chloe Barnthouse is also tied for the team lead in scoring with three goals in the campaign.
Scouting the Cougars:
The Cougars lead the OVC in almost every offensive statistical category, including goals per game (3.17) and shots per game (19.0). They have outscored their opponents 19-7 on the year, and are guided by Mackenzie Litzsinger who leads the conference in goals (5) and points (13) as the redshirt sophomore continues to tear through opponents in 2021. Sophomore Lily Schneiders' 10 points (3 goals, 4 assists) are right behind Litzsinger for second-most in the league, while her four assists rank second-best in the OVC. SIUE faced a 3-0 deficit just 41 minutes into their last contest against Southeast Missouri, but fought back to net three unanswered to earn a 3-3 tie on the evening.
Notes:
· Sophomore Lauren Payne is now 2-2 from the penalty spot on the season after converting for the game-winning goal on Tuesday against Tennessee Tech. Only two players in program history have made more than two penalty kicks in a season, with Theresa Reedy and Abby Jones each recording three apiece in 2004 and 2018 respectively.
· Eight different Racers, including two true freshmen, have scored a goal this season for Murray State.
· Dating back to last season, the Racers have scored a goal in twelve-straight matches.
· Abby Jones, who became the Racers' all-time assist leader on March 9th against UT Martin, distanced herself from the #2 spot with two more in the Racers' 3-1 win against Belmont earlier in the year as the junior from Powell, Ohio recorded the 23rd and 24th assists of her career.
· Kubin's goal against Belmont on March 12th brought her season total to a team-best three on the season as the senior moved into a tie for fifth with Jackie Thomas (2000-03) on Murray State's all-time scoring list with 25 career goals.
