Clarksville, TN – Austin Peay State University women’s soccer team begins its march for a first-ever Ohio Valley Conference Tournament title 7:00pm, Thursday, when the sixth-seeded Lady Govs take on third-seeded Southeast Missouri in first-round action at Skyhawk Field in Martin, Tennessee.
In its last match, Austin Peay fell behind 2-0 at Murray State, eventually losing 2-1 despite a late rally and senior Emily Kink’s 84th-minute goal. The Lady Govs, despite outshooting Murray State 34-14, were held at bay by a tremendous 23-save effort by Murray State’s Savannah Haberman, breaking the OVC single-game saves record.
The Redhawks dropped a double-overtime thriller at UT Martin, 1-0, in a game that decided the regular-season champion. Despite being outshot 38-6, it was not until Abi Sanvee’s 102nd-minute header that the Skyhawks were able to put Southeast Missouri away to claim the conference title. With senior keeper Ashton Aubuchon in net, the Redhawks have seven shutouts on the season and have allowed one goal or fewer in each of their last five games.
Last Time Against This Weekend’s Opponent
The Lady Govs played Southeast Missouri to a 1-1 draw, September 29th, at Morgan Brothers Soccer Field. Senior Tatiana Ariza put the Lady Govs ahead with a 40th-minute penalty kick, but Erin Shulman’s 46th-minute equalizer stood for the rest of the game.
Last Year at the OVC Tournament
Austin Peay advanced to the finals at last year’s OVC Tournament, defeating SIU Edwardsville 1-0 in the semifinals thanks to an 84th-minute goal from Joceline Quiceno. The Lady Govs fell to host UT Martin 2-0 in the final, the second loss in the tournament final for Austin Peay in the last three seasons.
Keep An Eye On
Senior Tatiana Ariza needs two goals to tie her own single-season school-record with 16, set during the 2011 campaign. Ariza, senior Andy Quiceno and sophomore Courtney Sheppard each have four assists; each needs one more to tie for sixth in APSU single-season history.
One goal from the Lady Govs offense would give Austin Peay 38 for the season, which would be the second-highest mark in school history.
One more goal would give freshman Gina Fabbro sole possession of fifth on the single-season lists with eight. She remains four behind Ariza’s 2010 tally for most in a single season by a freshman.
The Lady Govs are on pace for an historically low number of saves. With one regular season games remaining, Austin Peay has 60 total saves, led by Nikki Filippone with 46. The mark for fewest number of saves Austin Peay has recorded in a season currently stands at 73, set by the 2011 squad. Filippone currently has the second-best goals-against average mark in Austin Peay single-season history; she stands at 0.76 entering play Thursday, behind only Carley Newman’s 0.57 2010 mark.
With one more assist, senior Natalia Ariza would pass Adonia Bivins (2003-06) for third all-time with 13 assists.
Austin Peay is 3-9-2 all-time against Southeast Missouri, and are unbeaten in three of their last four matches. The Lady Govs and the Redhawks have faced off twice in the OVC Tournament, with Austin Peay winning a 3-1 decision in the 2010 semifinals. Austin Peay dropped a 3-0 decision in the first round of the 2006 tournament.
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 and streaming video will be available for the entire tournament on the OVC Digital Network (www.ovcdigitalnetwork.com).
