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HomeSportsAPSU Lady Govs Soccer to play Morehead State Friday to close out...

APSU Lady Govs Soccer to play Morehead State Friday to close out home schedule

Austin Peay State University Lady Govs - APSUClarksville, TN – For the final time in the 2013 regular season, Austin Peay State University women’s soccer team will host an Ohio Valley Conference foe at Morgan Brothers Field, 7:00pm, Friday, when Morehead State visits Clarksville.

The Lady Govs then begin a three-game road trip to conclude the OVC slate with a 12:00pm (CT), Sunday visit to Eastern Kentucky.

Austin Peay Women's Soccer. (Michael Rios - Clarksville Sports Network)
Austin Peay Women’s Soccer. (Michael Rios – Clarksville Sports Network)

After splitting their matches against Eastern Illinois and SIU Edwardsville last weekend, the Lady Govs sit at second in the conference with a 4-1-1 OVC mark and 9-2-2 overall, behind the Panthers and ahead of UT Martin.

Austin Peay has handed both the Panthers and the Skyhawks their only conference losses this season.

As of Thursday, the Lady Govs and Panthers would have first-round byes at the OVC Tournament, with UT Martin facing Southeast Missouri and SIU Edwardsville squaring off against Morehead State in the first round.

Tatiana ArizaThe Lady Govs made a statement in last Friday’s 3-0 drubbing of Eastern Illinois, which gave Austin Peay control of first place in the OVC. Those heights were short-lived however; Sunday’s 1-0 loss to SIUE dropped the Lady Govs back into second place.

Austin Peay looks to return to the form that made it the top-scoring squad in the conference after suffering its second shutout loss of 2013 in last Sunday’s matchup against the Cougars. Austin Peay leads the conference in scoring at 2.23 goals per game, a mark that ranks 34th nationally.

Nikki FilipponeSenior Tatiana Ariza is a major reason for those high marks; she moved into the national lead in points per game (2.5) and ranks third in the nation in goals per game (1.1) entering play this weekend. Among active NCAA players, Ariza ranks fourth in career goals (50) and fifth in career points (123).

Sophomore netminder Nikki Filippone also broke into the top 10 nationally in goals-against average this week; her 0.46 mark leads the OVC.

Morehead State

Morehead State (4-9-1, 3-2-0 OVC) comes into the contest having won two of their last three matches, with a loss to UT Martin sandwiched between victories against SIUE and Southeast Missouri.

A brutal non-conference schedule – the Eagles lost to then-23rd-ranked Ohio State, 11th-ranked West Virginia and American Athletic Conference-leading Louisville and earned a draw against Northeast Conference leader Saint Francis (PA) during non-OVC play – has provided some grit to the squad.

Freshman Angela Black scored twice and added an assist in Sunday’s match against Southeast Missouri en route to Co-Offensive Player of the Week honors, while Jade Flory ranks third in the OVC with 19 points (seven goals, five assists).

Eastern Kentucky

Eastern Kentucky (2-10-2, 1-3-1 OVC) was picked to finish fourth in the preseason poll  but has struggled to score and stop opponents from scoring – the Colonels rank last in the OVC in goals (seven) and goals against (34).

Through five OVC contests, the Colonels have just two goals scored but have tightened the defense up and sit just four points out of a tournament spot entering the weekend.

Austin Peay continues its regular-season ending road trip next weekend with a 3:00pm, Sunday, October 27th tilt at Jacksonville State.

Last Time Against This Weekend’s Opponents

Austin Peay closed out the 2012 season with wins at Morehead State and against Eastern Kentucky, securing the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye in the OVC Tournament.

Emily Perkins’ 20th-minute goal at Jayne Stadium was the game winner in the Lady Govs 1-0 win at Morehead State (October 26th); she scored again and assisted on Tatiana Ariza’s 12th 2012 goal in the 2-1 win against Eastern Kentucky (October 28th), earning her OVC Player of the Week honors.

Keep An Eye On

Andy QuicenoMoving Up the Chart: With 127 career points, Tatiana Ariza needs to average 5.5 points over her final four regular-season contests to tie Eastern Illinois’ Beth Liesen’s (2000-03) 149 career points. In seven career games against Eastern Kentucky and Morehead State, Ariza has eight career points (1.1/g).

The Lady Govs are 3-7-2 all-time against Morehead State. Last season’s win snapped a four-match losing streak to the Eagles and was Austin Peay’s first victory at Jayne Stadium. This will be Austin Peay’s first home match against Morehead State since 2009.

Natalia ArizaAustin Peay is 2-3-2 all-time against Eastern Kentucky, and are unbeaten in three of the last four meetings between the two squads. The Lady Govs seek their first victory at Eastern Kentucky – Austin Peay is 0-3-0 all-time at EKU Soccer Field.

With one more goal, senior Andy Quiceno would tie Jessica Hosse (2004-07) and Emily Perkins (2011-12) for third all-time with 14 career goals.

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

Senior midfielder Morgan Zigelsky needs one assist to tie Erin Mitchell (2002-04) for fifth on the career charts with nine.

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 www.LetsGoPeay.com, and streaming video will be available for free on the OVC Digital Network (http://www.ovcdigitalnetwork.com).

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