Western (5-4) controlled the ball almost the entire first half of play, but was unable to get a shot past Lady Gov goalkeeper Sarah Broadbent. Finally, with just 32 seconds remaining in the half, a scramble pulled Broadbent away from the net, and Jenna Silverberg snuck a ball into the net to give the Lady Toppers a 1-0 lead at halftime.
Western outshot the Lady Govs (2-6-1) 12-1 in the first half. WKU was able to put six shots on goal in the period, applying the pressure to the Austin Peay defense.
The Lady Topper broke the match open during an 11-minute stretch in the second half. Silverberg netted her second goal of the night in the 65th minute off passes from Tara Tidwell and Andrea Doogs. Less than five minutes later, Betsy Duncan beat Broadbent to make it a 3-0 Lady Topper advantage. Duncan struck again in the 76th minute as she took a pass from Silverberg, and knocked it off the right post into the net for a 4-0 lead. Elizabeth Cummins ended the night's scoring when her free kick sailed over the head of backup goalkeeper Stephanie Highsmith in the 89th minute to give WKU the 5-0 victory.
Western took 33 shots in the match, compared to just eight for the Lady Govs. Melissa Bailey played the first 76 minutes in goal, posting three saves. Amy Uhlman also recorded two saves in her 14 minutes of play.
The Lady Toppers will open Sun Belt Conference play on Sunday, hosting Florida International at noon (CDT). It will be Youth Soccer Day at the WKU Soccer Field. Any area youth player that comes in their team uniform will get in free.
