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MARTIN, Tenn. – The No. 3 seed Eastern Kentucky University soccer team will make its fifth consecutive postseason appearance when the Colonels face the No. 6 seed SIUE in the first round of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament on Thursday night at 8:00 p.m. ET at host UT Martin’s Skyhawk Field.

EKU (10-7-2, 6-2-1 OVC) is the only OVC team to qualify for the conference tournament each of the last five seasons. The Colonels have been one of the top three seeds in the tournament three of the last five seasons, solidifying their spot as one of the elite programs in the league.

EKU is also fresh off a historic regular season in which the Colonels set program marks for wins (10) and conference wins (6), all while achieving an unprecedented perfect home record (8-0-1).

Junior Nikki Donnelly led EKU offensively during that record-setting regular season. The Cincinnati native scored only two goals as a sophomore, but reemerged as one of the top offensive threats in the conference this fall, scoring seven goals and dishing out two assists. Her performance etched her name in the program’s record book for single season goals and career goals (15).

Donnelly was not alone in the attack, though. After sophomore forward Kaylynn Brown went down with an injury midway through the season, several Colonels stepped up, including senior Hayley Wright, a converted defender who scored twice in EKU’s last four games, and junior Lauren Fant, who scored three goals this fall, two of which were game-winners. Sophomore #Emily D’Italia#, meanwhile, finished the regular season with a program-record four assists, all of which came off perfectly-placed set piece balls.

The Colonel defense has also been solid, as usual. Fant, D’Italia, senior Deja Tennon and sophomore Paige Larkin are mainstays on a backline that surrendered multiple goals in only two conference games this fall, while EKU’s pair of freshman goalkeepers, Erika Wolfer and Samm Melton, combined to record four shutouts on the year.

SIUE (7-7-3, 4-4-2 OVC) is making its first appearance in the OVC Tournament in the first year it is eligible to do so. The Colonels defeated the Cougars, 2-1, at home during the regular season. Wright and Fant scored a pair of first-half goals to propel EKU to that victory. SIUE had not allowed a goal in four straight games coming into that Oct. 19 matchup.

SIUE is known for its defense, as the Cougars have recorded six shutouts during conference play while freshman goalkeeper Jennifer Pelley has been named OVC Goalkeeper of the Week five times already this fall. Michelle Auer paces the Cougar offense with three goals and four assists on the year.

The winner of Thursday’s game will advance to play No. 2 seed Austin Peay in the semifinals of the OVC Tournament on Friday, Nov. 2 at 8:00 p.m.

Admission to the conference tournament is free. If you cannot make it, live stats will be available for every game of the tournament.