BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – After a brief homestand in conference play last week, WKU will return to the road and travel south for matches against archrival Middle Tennessee and UAB on Friday evening at 7 p.m. and Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m., respectively.
The Lady Toppers (3-7-1, 0-3-1 C-USA) will be seeking their first victory in conference play this season against the Blue Raiders and the Blazers after dropping a pair of matches against Rice (2-0) and North Texas (1-0) in their two most recent outings. Last season, WKU earned victories over both Middle Tennessee and UAB in Bowling Green, defeating the Blue Raiders 1-0 and earning a 2-0 shutout win over the Blazers.
The offensive trio of Chandler Backes, Sarah Gorham and Hannah Chua enter the weekend as the top attacking threats for the Lady Toppers. The three have each appeared in all 11 matches for WKU this season and have combined for 62 of the team's 123 shots (50.4 percent); of those 62 shots, the group has played 27 on goal and has accounted for 11 of WKU's 23 points as a team. Backes' four goals and two assists both represent team highs for the Lady Toppers.
Across 11 matches in 2017, WKU has limited its opponents to just 11 total goals and has not surrendered more than two goals in a single match. Along with strong play from the back line, goalkeeper Allison Leone's 0.97 goals against average in 1,020 minutes has helped to keep the Lady Toppers within striking distance in every match this season; Leone has also totaled 55 saves and is just 20 stops short of 300 for her career.
Historically, WKU has found success against both Middle Tennessee and UAB, leading the combined series against the two by a 8-5-7 margin. The Lady Toppers have won two of the three most recent meetings against Middle Tennessee since both have been members of C-USA and hold an undefeated 2-0-1 mark against the Blazers after facing them in each of the last three seasons.
Middle Tennessee (5-5, 2-1 C-USA) enters Friday's match having won five of its last six outings, including a pair of one-goal victories over Florida Atlantic and FIU last week. Freshman Peyton DePriest is the leading scorer for the Blue Raiders with eight goals, a mark that also ranks second among all C-USA players this season; DePriest has also chipped in two assists and has 18 points in 10 matches.
Nearly half of opponents' shots (48.1 percent) have been put on goal against Middle Tennessee in 2017 as goalkeeper Sydney Chalcraft has given up 16 goals for a 1.57 goals against average. Chalcraft has played every minute between the posts and earned solo shutouts against Illinois-Chicago and Florida Atlantic and has made 44 saves.
Entering the weekend, UAB (8-1-3, 2-0-1 C-USA) has scored more goals this season (27) than any other team in the league aside from Southern Miss. The Blazers have tallied three or more goals five times and scored five goals in a 5-1 win over FIU last week; in their most recent outing, the Blazers picked up a 1-1 draw on the road at Florida Atlantic.
Amy Brewer and Megan Hudgens lead the offensive attack with six goals apiece for UAB, with Rachel Green trailing just behind with five goals of her own. All three, along with Caroline Kehrer, have scored double-digit points through 12 matches.
Defensively, the Blazers have allowed just nine goals as Kelsey Daugherty has manned the posts for all 1,170 minutes this season. Daugherty has picked up five solo shutouts and owns the top goals against average (0.69) among all C-USA goalkeepers with at least 10 matches played; her 59 saves rank third among C-USA goalkeepers and her .868 save percentage is the top mark in the league.
Following this weekend's matches, the Lady Toppers will return to the WKU Soccer Complex for a pair of bouts against Florida Atlantic and FIU next weekend. WKU is set to square off with the Owls at 6 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 13, before battling the Panthers on Sunday, Oct. 15, at 1 p.m. Both matches will be broadcast on C-USA TV and as with all home matches this season, admission will be free for all fans.
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