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HomeSportsAPSU Soccer travels to Jacksonville State Sunday

APSU Soccer travels to Jacksonville State Sunday

Austin Peay Lady Govs LogoClarksville, TN – On a season-long three-match losing streak, Austin Peay State University women’s soccer team seeks to right the ship when they travel to Jacksonville State for a 1:00pm, Sunday match at the JSU Soccer Field.

Austin Peay Women's Soccer. (Brittney Sparn - APSU Sports Information)
Austin Peay Women’s Soccer. (APSU Sports Information)

Austin Peay (9-4-2, 4-3-1 OVC), after sitting at second in the conference entering play last weekend, finds itself tied with SIU Edwardsville for fifth in the Ohio Valley Conference entering Sunday play, although the Cougars own the tiebreaker based on their win against the Lady Govs in the Oct. 13 matchup. UT Martin moved into sole possession of first place in the conference after defeating Eastern Illinois, 2-0, Friday.

The Lady Govs must rebound from 3-2 losses to Morehead State and Eastern Kentucky last weekend that precluded such a precipitous drop in the standings. After giving up a mere 10 goals in the season’s first 13 matches, Austin Peay has to find a way to tighten up again defensively with two all-important games remaining on the schedule.

Jacksonville State (4-12-2, 0-8-1) remained winless in the OVC after falling to Murray State, Friday. After starting strong with a 3-2-1 mark, Jacksonville State has lost 10 of its last 12 matches to descend to the bottom of the conference table. The Gamecocks’ defense can be exploited – they enter the weekend allowing 2.00 goals per game, 10th among conference schools – and Austin Peay’s high-octane offense (conference-best 2.20 goals per game) could make for a high-scoring affair.

Austin Peay concludes the regular season with a 7:00pm, Nov. 3rd visit to archrival Murray State before what will hopefully be a lengthy run in the OVC Tournament.

Last Time Against This Weekend’s Opponent

The Lady Govs clinched last season’s OVC Tournament berth with a 2-0 Senior Day victory against Jacksonville State. Haylee Shoaff made four saves for her fifth shutout in six games and Tatiana Ariza and Joceline Quiceno each found the back of the net in the win.

Keep An Eye On…

Senior Tatiana Ariza needs three goals to tie her own single-season school-record with 16, set during the 2011 campaign. Ariza and sophomore Courtney Sheppard both have four assists; each needs one more to tie for sixth in APSU single-season history.

The Lady Govs are on pace for an historically low number of saves. With two regular season games remaining, Austin Peay has 46 total saves, led by Nikki Filippone with 32. The mark for fewest number of saves Austin Peay has recorded in a season currently stands at 73, set by the 2011 squad.

With one more assist, senior Natalia Ariza would pass Adonia Bivins (2003-06) for third all-time with 13 assists.

The Austin Peay-Jacksonville State rivalry is one of the more even matchups around the OVC; the series stands at 4-4-2 entering Sunday’s match, with neither side being unbeaten for longer than a three-match stretch for the rivalry’s duration. That may not bode well for the Lady Govs, who enter the match unbeaten since the 2009 contest.

Senior midfielder Morgan Zigelsky needs one assist to tie Erin Mitchell (2002-04) for fifth on the career charts with nine. With one point, she would tie Bivins for 10th all-time with 22.

Lady Govs Online

Be sure to follow all the Lady Govs action at LetsGoPeay.com, and check them out on Twitter (@AustinPeaySocr) and by liking the Austin Peay Women’s Soccer Official Page on Facebook. Live stats will be available prior to the match at LetsGoPeay.com.

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