RICHMOND, Ky. – The Eastern Kentucky University soccer team is set to wrap up its record-breaking regular season at home on Thursday when it hosts Tennessee Tech in a pivotal Ohio Valley Conference matchup. First touch is at 3:00 p.m.
WHAT TO KNOW
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- EKU (12-4-0, 7-2-0 OVC) kept rolling with two wins over the weekend, beating Eastern Illinois, 4-0, on Friday, before pulling out a hard-fought, 1-0 victory SIUE on Sunday. EKU is riding a four-game winning streak and has clinched its first OVC Tournament berth since 2012.
- Eastern has now posted program records for wins (12) and OVC wins (seven) in a single season.
- The Colonels routed the Panthers on Friday thanks to goals from seniors
Cassie Smith and
Mikayla Brillon, sophomore
Tara Claus and freshman
Kayla Childs. Claus also picked up an assist on the Smith goal.
- Eastern was locked into a slugfest with SIUE on Sunday. Smith scored the only goal of the match in the fourth minute, and from that point, the EKU defense clamped down and secured the victory.
- Smith is now tied with junior
Jordan Foster for the team lead in goals with seven, which also ties the single-season program record. Claus, Childs, junior
Emmi Carroll and freshman
Erin Torrence all have three goals this fall. As a team, EKU has already shattered the program record for goals in a season (29).
- Junior goalkeeper
Anna Hall is ranked 11
th nationally and tied for first in the OVC with a school-record nine shutouts.
- The Colonels are sitting at second place in the OVC. If Eastern wins and Murray State loses on Thursday, Eastern will clinch its first-ever OVC regular season title and the No. 1 seed in the OVC Tournament. If EKU wins and Murray State wins or ties, EKU would still earn a first-round bye as the No. 2 seed. If Eastern loses to Tennessee Tech on Thursday, the Colonels become the No. 3 seed.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
- Tennessee Tech (10-5-3, 6-1-2 OVC) is led by Abi Gearing's six goals on the season.
- The Golden Eagles are in third place in the OVC and have victories over Jacksonville State, Belmont, Southeast Missouri, UT Martin, SIUE and Eastern Illinois. They tied Morehead State and Austin Peay.
- EKU leads the all-time series with Tech, 7-4-0. The last Eastern win came 2014, when Carroll scored a pair of goals in come-from-behind 2-1 victory in Richmond.
UP NEXT
The Colonels are preparing for the OVC Tournament. If they lose to Tennessee Tech, the Colonels will host an OVC Tournament first-round game on Sunday. A Colonel victory means the team gets a bye into the second round and will have the weekend off.
