Eastern Illinois (5-11-2, 0-8-1 OVC) at Murray State (11-1-2, 6-0-2 OVC)
Thursday, October 19
3 pm at Murray, Ky.
Live Stats | Live Video – OVC Digital Network
ON-TAP: Eastern Illinois plays its final match of the 2017 season on Thursday afternoon at Murray State. EIU fell to 5-11-2 overall, 0-8-1 in the OVC over the weekend as they were shutout at Southeast Missouri and lost in the final minutes on Sunday at UT Martin. Murray State enters at 11-1-2 overall, 6-0-2 in the OVC. With a win the Racers would lock up the 2017 OVC regular season title.
LAST TIME ON THE PITCH: Eastern Illinois will have four players that will be in action for the final time in an Eastern Illinois uniform on Thursday afternoon. Seniors
Ali Carlson,
Carrie Caplin,
Madi Fisher and
Emma Scaro are the four members of the EIU senior class. Carlson has played in 17 of 18 matches this season becoming a starter in the defensive backfield. Caplin played in 10 matches before suffering a season ending injury in the conference opener. Fisher has played in 13 matches primarily as a reserve forward. Scaro has played in 17 matches as both a starter and key reserve at the forward position.
PANTHERS TRY TO AVOID WINLESS OVC SEASON: Eastern Illinois wraps up its 2017 season on Thursday afternoon and the Panthers will be trying to avoid going winless in Ohio Valley Conference play for the first time in program history. EIU has been a member of the OVC since 1998 winning two regular season titles and four OVC Tournament titles during their time as a league member. EIU's lowest conference win total was in 2014 when they went 1-8-1 in OVC action.
POINTS RACE FOR THE SEASON: The points race for Eastern Illinois appears to be coming down to the final match of the season. Four players –
Henar Urteaga,
Hannah Heinz,
Kate Olson and
Sarah DeWolf – are all tied for the team lead in goals scored with three. Olson and Heinz are tied for the team points lead with eight as both players have added two assists to their season goal total.
Kayla Stolfa is the team leader in assists with six.
STOLFA CHASING SINGLE SEASON TOP TEN: Eastern Illinois junior defender
Kayla Stolfa picked up her sixth assist of the season on Sunday during the Panthers 2-1 loss at UT Martin. Stolfa served up a corner kick that was headed home by freshman defender
Haley Tausend. Stolfa needs two assists to move into a tie for ninth on the EIU single season list. Earlier this season against Chicago State she set the EIU school record and tied the OVC record for assists in a match with four. She has twice been named the OVC Defensive Player of the Week.
TAUSEND SCORES FIRST CAREER GOAL: Freshman
Haley Tausend scored her first career goal in the Panthers Sunday loss at UT Martin. Tausend finished off a corner kick by
Kayla Stolfa in the first half with a header for the goal. Tausend has moved into the starting line-up in the latter half of the conference season after senior
Carrie Caplin was lost due to injury. EIU has now scored 18 goals on the season with nine different players scoring at least one goal this season.
SERIES HISTORY: Eastern Illinois and Murray State will be meeting for the 20th time on Thursday afternoon as the Panthers play their final match of the 2017 season. EIU holds a slim 8-7-4 all-time series lead over Murray State but the Racers have won three straight matches including a 3-0 victory in Charleston last season.
HEAD COACH:
Kiki Lara is in his second season as the EIU women's soccer head coach. Lara was hired as the men's soccer head coach in 2015 and was promoted to director of soccer overseeing both programs in the spring of 2016. Lara is a 2003 graduate of Incarnate Word and played in the USL First Division for five seasons. He came to EIU following a stint as the assistant men's soccer coach at Dayton. Lara is assisted this season by
Jake Plant and
Ashley Ross.
