RICHMOND, Ky. – The Eastern Kentucky University women’s soccer team’s collective goal entering the 2008 season was to make the OVC Tournament – a feat yet to be accomplished in the program’s four year history. On Friday, the Colonels will begin their quest for that goal when they travel to play OVC foe Tennessee Tech. 

Every match from this point forward will be an OVC match.

The Colonels are markedly improved over previous seasons. Their record (2-6-2) is the best it’s ever been 10 matches into the season, and it has come against a tougher schedule.

However, it’s not so much their record as it is the way they are winning and losing matches. The EKU offense has poured in eight goals so far this season, as opposed to only five at this point last season. Six players have scored at least one goal this year, while only four had scored at this time last year.

The EKU defense has been even better. Ten games into last season, the Colonels had allowed 26 goals. This season, they have only allowed 13. The most goals a team has scored on the Colonels in a single game is three, and that has only happened twice. The stellar play on defense has kept EKU in nearly every game it’s played, as the Colonels have only lost one match this season by more than one goal (a 3-0 loss at Raford).

Improvement is also evident in single-game results. Last season, the Colonels fell to Western Kentucky 6-2. This season, they tied the Hilltoppers 1-1. Also in 2007, EKU fell to Morehead 7-0, while in 2008 they lost to the Eagles 3-2 in a hard-fought overtime match.

Accolades have legitimized the Colonels’ improvement. For the first time in program history, EKU had two consecutive OVC Players of the Week earlier in the season. On September 2, junior midfielder Lauren Imsande was named the OVC Co-Offensive Player of the Week. On September 9, sophomore keeper Stephanie Lynch was given OVC Goalkeeper of the Week Honors.

On Friday, junior defender Jessica Goshert, Lynch and the rest of the Colonel defense will lead EKU into Cookeville to take on the Golden Eagles of Tennessee Tech. The offense will be led by senior forward Kayla Swearingen and sophomore forward Alex Hartwick. Swearingen, the all-time leader in goals scored at EKU, already leads the Colonels with two this season. Hartwick is the only Colonel with both a goal and an assist on the season.

Game time on Friday is set for 5:00 p.m.

On Sunday, the Colonels will return to action at home against Austin Peay at 1:00 p.m.