Murray State University Athletics

Racers Complete Comeback, Defeat Eastern Kentucky in 2020-21 Home Opener
3/5/2021 10:35:00 PM | Women's Soccer
Murray State earns three more points behind 22 shots and 62% possession
"When we were down a goal in the last 45, we needed to play with a championship mentality, and I think we really showed that today…I'm really proud. We gave up four or five shots, so we need to be more efficient on the back side, but with what we generated going forward I thought we could have had five or six goals," said MSU head coach Matt Lodge.
Eastern Kentucky put the Racers under pressure when Rylie Jucker put the Colonels in front in the sixth minute, but the Racers equalized in the 26th when freshman Chloe Barnthouse found the net for the second time in as many games with a headed goal from a Hailey Cole corner kick.
Murray State thought they had earned the go-ahead goal with just seconds remaining in the first half, but Izzy Heckman's 45th-minute strike would be disallowed when referees ruled that time had expired before the ball crossed the goal line as the game remained level at 1-1 entering the halftime break.
While the halftime stats showed an 11-3 shot advantage in favor of the Racers to pair with 58% of possession through the first 45 minutes, it would actually be EKU who posted the next goal when Audrey Anderson did so in the 56th minute to give the Colonels a 2-1 advantage.
The Racers continued to press high up the pitch in response, and their efforts were rewarded in the 81st minute when Rebecca Kubin netted the equalizer with a one-time finish off a cross from Symone Cooper.
With overtime seemingly inevitable in the closing stages with the game even at 2-2, the Racers would finish the job in normal time when freshman Hailey Cole put away a rebound off of Rebecca Kubin's initial strike to give the Racers a 3-2 lead in the 88th minute.
The Racers outshot the Colonels 22-5 on the day while owning 62% of the possession.
Kubin and Barnthouse now have two goals on the year, while Cole's strike is the first of her collegiate career.
Kubin's goal also moves her up a spot on Murray State's all-time scoring list as her 24 career goals is now tied with Rebekah Clay (2005-08) for sixth in program history.
Goalkeeper Jenna Villacres made three saves in the winning effort.
"We have a complete trust in our players. From our seniors down to our freshman, complete trust. We knew what we were getting ourselves into and that we would have to stick up for each other, and we did just that," concluded Lodge.
The Racers return to action on Tuesday when they travel to UT Martin for a clash with the Skyhawks. Kickoff is slated for 7:00 p.m.
"We have complete trust in our players. From our seniors down to our freshmen - complete trust."
— Murray State Soccer (@RacerSoccer) March 6, 2021
Thoughts from head coach Matt Lodge following the 3-2 victory over Eastern Kentucky ⚽️#WeAreRacers🏇 pic.twitter.com/eHkgxOtmVj
Team Stats

Rylie Jucker (1)
Assisted By: Katie Shaffer
GOAL by EKU Jucker, Rylie Assist by Shaffer, Katie.
05:02

Chloe Barnthouse (2)
Assisted By: Hailey Cole
GOAL by MUR Barnthouse, Chloe Assist by Cole, Hailey.
26:34

Audrey Anderson (1)
Assisted By: Michaela Iacono
GOAL by EKU Anderson, Audrey Assist by Iacono, Michaela.
55:06

Rebecca Kubin (2)
Assisted By: Symone Cooper
GOAL by MUR Kubin, Rebecca Assist by Cooper, Symone.
80:52

Hailey Cole (1)
Assisted By: Rebecca Kubin
GOAL by MUR Cole, Hailey Assist by Kubin, Rebecca.
87:44