APSU Sports Information
Clarksville, TN – With an opportunity to gain entry into the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament on the line, Austin Peay State University women’s soccer team travels to Murray State for its final regular-season match, 3:00pm, Thursday.
The Racers (13-4, 9-0 OVC) have already clinched the regular-season title to earn a first-round bye, and are followed by Tennessee Tech (16 points), Morehead State (16), UT Martin (15), Southeast Missouri (13) and Jacksonville State (13).
Austin Peay is coming off two crucial wins last weekend, with both the offense and goalkeeping stepping up at an important time. Senior Shelby Olszewski led the attacking play up top, totaling two goals and two assists to claim OVC Offensive Player of the Week honors.
In addition, sophomore Lindsey Todd was named Goalkeeper of the Week after picking up two shutout victories.
Murray State has proven to be the perennial team of the conference after maintaining an unblemished record of 9-0-0, leading to its first in-season title since 2008.
With a win Thursday, the Racers would become the first team in OVC soccer history to go 10-0-0.
The Racers are led offensively by forward Taylor Richerson, who has recorded four goals and three assists in conference play. Midfielder/defender Taylor Stevens has been the squad’s steady contributor on the pitch with six goals and six assists in the OVC, including three game-winning scores.
In net, Alex Steigerwald leads all OVC keepers in goals-against average (0.67) and save percentage (.891).
Last Time Against Murray State
The Lady Govs last met rival Murray State, Oct. 24, 2014, in Clarksville. Gina Fabbro scored in the third minute to give APSU an early lead, but the Racers stormed back to score three unanswered goals. A late tally by Courtney Sheppard in the 86th minute would not be enough as the Lady Govs fell 3-2.
Keep An Eye On
The Lady Govs are seeking its first trip to the OVC Tournament since 2013, where they reached at least the semifinals for the second consecutive season.
Austin Peay head coach Kelley Guth is one win away from reaching the century mark in her career.
Olszewski is one goal shy of tying her career-high in single-season goals with six, and would also move into a tie for sixth all-time at 12.
APSU Lady Govs Online
Be sure to follow all the Lady Govs action at www.LetsGoPeay.com and the official Facebook page of Austin Peay Athletics. Live play-by-play coverage can be found on Twitter (@AustinPeaySocr), while live stats are available at www.PeayStats.com
All OVC matches can be streamed live and free on www.OVCDigitalNetwork.com
