CONWAY, Ark. - The No. 1-seeded Eastern Kentucky University women's soccer team opens its pursuit of a United Athletic Conference Tournament championship Wednesday night against No. 2 seed Tarleton State in the semifinals.
 
First touch at Bill Stephens Soccer Complex is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET. The match will air live on ESPN+, with live stats also available.
 
The Colonels (10-6-3, 6-2-2 UAC) enter postseason play riding a two-match winning streak after outscoring West Georgia and Austin Peay by a combined 5-1 margin to close the regular season. EKU captured the Blue Division title and secured the tournament's No. 1 overall seed, earning a bye directly to the semifinals.
 
The historic regular season brought the program its first outright conference regular-season championship and a third consecutive 10-win campaign, the longest such streak in program history.
 
EKU's success continued during its week off, as 11 members of the program combined to earn a program-record 17 UAC postseason honors. Matt Cosinuke was named Coach of the Year, becoming the program's first recipient in a decade, while Jordan LeVasseur became the first Colonel to earn Goalkeeper of the Year honors.
 
LeVasseur joined Avery May, Chiara Premoli and Rachel Phifer on the All-UAC First Team, giving EKU a program-record four first-team selections. Peyton Smith, Rachel Robinson and Juliet Strange earned second-team recognition, while Ronnie Ariel and Calista Everson were named to the All-Freshman Team.
 
The Colonels have paired one of the most productive offenses in program history with a strong defensive effort. EKU matched the single-season program record with 30 goals and ranks among the program's top three in assists, points and shots. The Colonels also held the possession advantage in nine of their 10 conference matches.
 
Defensively, EKU allowed just eight goals in UAC play and recorded seven shutouts overall. LeVasseur anchors the unit with 72 saves, five shutouts and a 1.03 goals-against average.
 
SCOUTING TARLETON STATE
Tarleton State (8-3-9, 5-1-4) advanced to the semifinals with a 2-1 comeback victory over Austin Peay on Sunday. After conceding in the 55th minute, the Texans equalized in the 62nd minute before finding the winner in the 78th.
 
The Texans lead the UAC with 39 goals, fueled by Offensive Player of the Year Jessica Baires and fellow first-team selection Zahra Friess. Baires has totaled 10 goals and 11 assists, while Friess shares the conference lead with 10 goals and has added four assists.
 
Wednesday's semifinal sets up a matchup between the league's Offensive Player of the Year and Goalkeeper of the Year as Baires and the Texans face LeVasseur and the Colonels.
 
LAST MEETING
EKU will look to avenge a 2-0 road loss to Tarleton State in a rain-soaked matchup in mid-October.
 
The teams combined for just five shots on goal, with both defenses holding firm through a scoreless first half. All-UAC First Team selection Avery Mendez broke the deadlock in the 47th minute before Baires added a goal in the 87th.
 
The Colonels finished with two shots on goal and had a potential first-half goal disallowed for a handball.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
A victory would send EKU to its second conference tournament championship match in three seasons and its first since 2024. The Colonels would face the winner of the other semifinal matchup between Abilene Christian and North Alabama.