APSU Sports Information
Clarksville, TN – Austin Peay State University (APSU) women’s soccer team played to a 1-1 draw against Western Kentucky, Saturday, at Morgan Brothers Soccer Field.
Being an exhibition, the Govs used almost the entire roster after only having a couple days of preseason to prepare for the match. It also marked the first match the team played under new head coach Naomi Kolarova.
There was not much action on goal in the first half until a header off a WKU free kick beat Austin Peay goalkeeper Mary Parker Powell, but was ruled out for offside.
The next passage of play for the Govs resulted in their best chance so far, with sophomore midfielder Claire Larose attempting a shot that was saved.
The second half started out with more attacking, as both teams pressed for the opening goal. The Govs broke the deadlock through Jade Dauriat, close to midway through the half. Dauriat found herself in the box with the ball after a deflected cross and had her initial shot saved, but after a goalmouth scramble picked up the ball and slotted it into the left corner for a 1-0 Govs lead.
The Hilltoppers kicked off with much more intensity, earning a free kick that Powell had to tip over the bar. Late in the second half, a quick exchange of passes released WKU’s Sarah Gorham, who ran at the defense and unleashed a perfectly placed shot into the right hand corner to equalize for the Hilltoppers. The match ended without any more notable action.
“The goal was to play everybody and see how they do in a game situation,” said Kolarova. “Obviously we’ve only had two days of preseason, so I didn’t think it was very organized in defending as a group, but the goal was to throw everybody out there and see how they did. It’s only day three of our official preseason, so overall I’m happy we made something happen and scored one and now we look to improve as a group.”
The Govs play two more exhibition matches next week, both being on the road. The Govs travel to Mississippi Valley next Friday, August 10th and wrap up their exhibition slate with a match against West Alabama, Sunday, August 12th.
