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RICHMOND, Ky. – The Eastern Kentucky University soccer team continues Ohio Valley Conference play this weekend by hosting Jacksonville State on Friday at 4:00 p.m. and Tennessee Tech on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. at EKU Soccer Field.

EKU (5-4-2, 1-0-1 OVC) enters the weekend unbeaten in conference action. The Colonels edged in-state rival Morehead State, 2-1, in an overtime thriller at home two weekends ago, and then battled OVC newcomer Belmont to a 1-1 draw on the road last Friday.

Junior Nikki Donnelly has been the focal point of EKU’s offense this fall. The native of Cincinnati has notched five goals on the season, two of them coming in the final eight minutes of the Morehead State game to stun the Eagles.

The Colonel defense, however, has also been a key to EKU’s early-season success. The EKU backline ranks second in the OVC during conference play with 0.87 goals allowed per game, and it has not surrendered multiple goals in 11 straight OVC regular season games dating back to the 2010 season. Senior Deja Tennon, a two-time All-OVC defender who came forward and scored the equalizing goal with 12 minutes left in regulation against Belmont on Friday, leads the Colonels’ veteran, battle-tested backline, along with junior Lauren Fant and sophomores #Emily D’Italia and Paige Larkin#.

EKU’s strong defense, however, will have its hands full with a hot JSU team (10-2-1, 3-0-0 OVC) that enters the weekend having won four in a row and sitting atop the league standings. The Gamecocks lead the OVC with 24 goals on the season, and they used that explosive offense to beat TTU on the road two weekends ago and Eastern Illinois and SIUE at home this past weekend.

JSU’s Courtney Hurt (five goals, four assists) is one of the frontrunners for OVC Offensive Player of the Year honors, and Gameock goalkeeper Katelyn Geddings has already recorded five shutouts this fall.

TTU (3-7-1, 1-2-0 OVC) lost to JSU to open conference play two weekends ago and then split a pair of league games last weekend, defeating SIUE on Friday before falling to EIU on Sunday. The Golden Eagles have allowed five goals in three conference games already.

TTU’s Ellie Iaciofano, like Hurt, is one of the top offensive players in the OVC, as she leads all players in the league with eight goals.

In its eight-year history, EKU soccer has had more success against JSU and TTU than any other conference opponents. The Colonels are 4-2 all-time against JSU and have not lost to the Gamecocks since 2006, and they are 4-3 all-time against TTU, including a 2-1 road win in Cookeville last year.