JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The No. 5 seeded EKU women's soccer team will begin its quest in the 2024 Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament on Thursday against No. 8 seed Jacksonville at Hodges Stadium.
Thursday's match is slated for a 7 p.m. EST kickoff and can be viewed live on ESPN+. Fans looking to see the Colonels in the tournament can purchase tickets online
here.
EKU's first round and quarterfinals pod will be hosted by No. 4 seed North Florida, Jacksonville's travel partner inside ASUN play. The winner of Thursday's first round match up will advance to face the waiting Ospreys in a true road contest.
Match 20: No. 5 EKU (10-7-2, 7-3-1 ASUN) vs. No. 8 Jacksonville (4-10-3, 3-6-2 ASUN)
Thursday, Oct. 31 – 7 p.m. EST
Hodges Stadium – Jacksonville, Fla.
Tickets
ESPN+
Live Stats
EKU enters play on Thursday coming off a 3-1 win over Bellarmine to end the regular season and secure the program's first 10-win season since 2017. The Colonels then earned the No. 5 seed in the tournament after waiting on Saturday's fixtures to conclude, the third consecutive season the Colonels have ended 5th in the standings.
On Wednesday, EKU had seven student-athletes combine for nine ASUN postseason awards, marking the most postseason awards awarded to the program as a member institution in the conference. Among the honorees,
Ella Grode and
Chiara Premoli received the highest honors – both being placed on Second Team All-ASUN.
Heading into the tournament, the Colonels are led by forwards Grode,
Ana Manning, and
Maddy Murphy who all logged a team-high five goals during the regular season. After recording a school record three assists in the win over Bellarmine, Premoli leads the club with five assists this season entering play on Thursday.
EKU and Jacksonville met three games ago on Oct. 17 in Jacksonville, ending in a 1-1 draw after senior
Nerea de Diego equalized the contest in the 88th minute. The Colonels have won four of their last six matches.
Scouting Jacksonville
The Dolphins are coming off a 3-1 loss to rival North Florida to end their regular season. Through 17 matches upperclassmen Logan Gonzales and Manuela Restrepo are atop JU's leader board with five goals. Gonzales also leads the club with two assists and has struck 55 percent (16-for-29) of her shots on target. Senior defender Hannah Bielicke was named Third Team All-ASUN as a defender on Wednesday, Jacksonville's only postseason honoree.
History vs. Jacksonville
Thursday's conference tournament match marks the fifth meeting between JU and EKU since 2009. The all-time series is tied 1-1-2 overall.
