Live Stats: Murray State I Austin Peay

RICHMOND, Ky. – The Eastern Kentucky University soccer team enters the final weekend of the regular season tied for second place in the Ohio Valley Conference and within striking distance of its first-ever league title.

To achieve that regular season championship, the Colonels will first have to go through Murray State (Friday at 3:00 p.m.) and the team with which they are currently tied, Austin Peay (Sunday at 3:00 p.m).

EKU (9-6-2, 5-2-1 OVC, 16 conference points) swept SIUE and Eastern Illinois at home last weekend to remain in the title hunt. The Colonels and Lady Govs (9-7-1, 5-2-1 OVC, 16 conference points) both trail first-place UT Martin (9-5-3, 6-1-1 OVC, 19 conference points) by one game. UTM controls its own destiny this weekend; however, if the Skyhawks slip up, both teams have a chance.

UTM plays at Jacksonville State on Friday before hosting Tennessee Tech on Sunday. APSU plays at Morehead State on Friday before hosting EKU on Sunday.

EKU enters the weekend with momentum on its side. With the victories over SIUE and EIU last weekend, the Colonels finished the regular season undefeated at home (8-0-1), and their nine overall wins are the most in program history.

Four different Colonels scored goals last weekend (senior Hayley Wright and juniors Lauren Fant, Nikki Donnelly and Kristan Paynter), while the EKU defense returned to form after surrendering three scores at UTM on Sunday, October 14. Fant, who went the distance in both matches and came forward to score the game-winner against SIUE, was named the OVC Defensive Player of the Week on Tuesday. Fant has scored three goals this season, and all of them have been off corner kicks from sophomore #Emily D’Italia#.

Murray State (4-11-0, 2-6-0 OVC) is in last place in the OVC; however, the Racers defeated JSU at home last weekend to stay in contention to make the conference tournament. Veronika Pribyslavska leads MSU with seven goals on the season, three of which were game-winners.

APSU shut out both TTU and JSU last weekend and have now not allowed a goal in three straight matches. Offensively, the Lady Govs are led by Tatiana Ariza, who has eight goals and six assists on the fall.

EKU is 1-5-1 all-time against Murray State, with its lone win against the Racers coming in 2010. The Colonels, meanwhile, are 3-2-2 all-time against APSU and defeated the Lady Govs 2-1 last year in Richmond.