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HomeSportsInitial Lady Govs soccer exhibition set for Friday

Initial Lady Govs soccer exhibition set for Friday

APSU Sports: Women’s Soccer

Austin Peay State University Lady GovsClarksville, TN – After nearly two weeks of preseason training, Austin Peay State University women’s soccer team will undergo its first test in a 7:00pm, Friday, exhibition contest against Freed-Hardeman at Morgan Brothers Soccer Field.

It is the first of two weekend exhibition contests for the Lady Govs. They also play host to St. Louis in a 2:00pm, Sunday exhibition match.

APSU Soccer. (Courtesy: Austin Peay Sports Information)
APSU Soccer. (Courtesy: Austin Peay Sports Information)

“We’re anxious to get on the field and see the team in action,” head coach Kelley Guth said. “They’re excited to get on the field and play against someone other than themselves. We’ve been working on implementing our system and introducing the new girls to how we play. This will be a great opportunity to give them some minutes and let them see how we do things.”

The Lady Govs return a large portion of their contributors from a team that won a program-record 14 games last season. Despite losing five players to knee injuries during the 2010 campaign, Guth’s team advanced to the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament championship game.

But 2011 is a new year and with the Lady Govs picked to finish third in the OVC’s preseason poll, Guth knows that anything can happen.

Sophomores Tatiana and Natalia Ariza were the last of the Lady Govs to report to camp, due in part to their commitments to the Colombian National Team. Tatiana, the 2010 OVC Freshman of the Year, represented Colombia during the 2010 FIFA Women’s World Cup, played this summer in Germany.

“We’re a small squad and haven’t really had a chance to play full-sided,” Guth said. “It’s been tough looking big picture, but it’s all been good. The work ethic is good, but when you play against somebody else, it’s a different game.”

The Arizas, along with sophomore Joceline Quiceno are the Lady Govs three returning All-OVC players. That trio is joined by an experienced group of midfielders, led by senior Jocelyn Murdoch and sophomore Andy Quiceno. Newcomers include four freshmen along with a  pair of Ole Miss transfers – Emily Perkins and Morgan Zigelsky.

Freed-Hardeman returns two of its top three goal-scorers, junior Whitney Newby (eight goals) and junior Julie Bracknell (five goals). The Lions finished 2010 with a 10-6-3 record.

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