47.8 F
Clarksville
Thursday, March 28, 2024
HomeSportsAPSU Soccer travels to Western Illinois for final exhibition match

APSU Soccer travels to Western Illinois for final exhibition match

APSU Sports Information

APSU Soccer - Austin Peay State UniversityClarksville, TN – Fresh off a 3-0 drubbing of Indiana State in its preseason opener, Austin Peay State University women’s soccer team will hit the road for its final exhibition contest, 5:00pm, Friday, August 10th, 2017 against Western Illinois in Macomb.

The Governors look to build on a solid first exhibition outing against the Sycamores, Tuesday.

Austin Peay Soccer takes on Western Illinois Friday in road exhibition match. (APSU Sports Information)
Austin Peay Soccer takes on Western Illinois Friday in road exhibition match. (APSU Sports Information)

Returning from an injury-plagued 2016 campaign, McKenzie Dixon scored twice while 2016 first-team All-OVC pick Kirstin Robertson added a tally of her own, each coming in the second half. Lindsey Todd and Mary Parker Powell split time in net, with Todd stopping four shots and Powell making two saves to combine for the shutout.

“We’re excited for another opportunity to play against someone other than ourselves,” said head coach Kelley Guth. “We’ve taken what we learned from the ISU game and addressed a few things—our goal is to play a complete 90 minutes and improve in those areas.”

The multi-talented Dixon was on the receiving end of two beautiful crosses Tuesday night—one from Robertson in the 70th minute, and again six minutes later from Jennifer Smith. After being held out of action in all but eight games a year ago, she appears back on the form that saw her tally nine goals and earn All-OVC and All-Newcomer honors as a freshman.

Entering the preseason with uncertainty along the backline after the departure of two longtime starters, the Govs answered some questions with a shutout of the Sycamores, who finished fifth in the Missouri Valley Conference last season. The Govs now turn to a battle-tested Western Illinois squad which returns 10 starters from last season’s seventh-place showing in the Summit League.

“The energy and excitement around the team is very uplifting,” Guth said. “I know the girls are looking forward to the challenge of playing on the road. I think it’s important that they face some adversity early, so the quick turnaround and long bus ride for this game will put us to the test. I know our girls are pumped to get out and play again.”

In Tuesday’s exhibition opener, Western Illinois got 13 saves, including 11 from Ines Palmiero, but surrendered a 22nd-minute goal that was the difference in a 1-0 loss to Northern Iowa.

The 2017 regular season opens August 18th with the Governors beginning a four-match road trip at Chattanooga. Austin Peay opens the home portion of its schedule one week later when it hosts Western Kentucky, August 25th.

RELATED ARTICLES

Latest Articles