Lady Toppers Kick Off C-USA Play at Old Dominion Friday Evening

Friday, September 15

Norfolk, Va.

6 P.M. CT

Western Kentucky University

Old Dominion

Lady Toppers Kick Off C-USA Play at Old Dominion Friday Evening

9/14/2017 3:31:00 PM | Women's Soccer

beIN Connect Live Stream Old Dominion Live Stats

beIN Connect Live Stream | Live Stats

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU is set to return to the road for the first time in three weeks at 6 p.m. (CT) on Friday evening, squaring off against Old Dominion in the C-USA opener for both sides at the ODU Soccer Complex in Norfolk, Va.

Friday night's match will double as beIN Sports' featured Match of the Week and will air live on beIN Connect, the channel's online digital network, and on a one-hour delay on the beIN TV Network. The match will be broadcast nationally on both platforms.

The Lady Toppers (3-4) are looking to snap a two-match losing streak after dropping a pair of 1-0 decisions against Vanderbilt and Samford at the WKU Soccer Complex last weekend. Corner kick goals by the opposition early in each match proved to be the decisive scores despite strong offensive efforts in the second half by WKU.

Sophomore Chandler Backes continues to lead the Lady Toppers with four goals and 10 total points on the season while also leading all members of the squad with 16 shots, eight of which have been put on goal. Despite not having scored thus far, redshirt junior Sarah Gorham has also played a key role in the offense out of the midfield, launching 13 shots through seven matches; Gorham's .538 shot on goal percentage is the best among all Lady Toppers with at least seven shots this season.

As a team, WKU has combined to score six of its eight goals during the second half of play or overtime this season, outscoring its opponents 6-3 over that span. The Lady Toppers are also outshooting their foes 48-38 in that same time frame and own a slim 16-15 advantage in corner kick opportunities.

Senior Allison Leone owns a pair of solo shutouts this season and has held WKU's opponents to either zero or one goal in each of the last four matches. The Kennesaw, Ga., native has 30 saves and sports a 1.01 goals against average in just under 625 minutes of action between the posts.

Old Dominion (2-2-2) enters Friday's match on a four-match winless streak, but has earned a draw in each of its last two times out. In their most recent match on Sept. 7, the Monarchs secured a 1-1 draw on the road at UNCW following Kyra Ricks' strike with just 18 seconds remaining in regulation. Old Dominion's two victories this season came in their first two outings of the year against George Mason and Albany.

Preseason All-C-USA pick Jackie Stroud leads the Monarchs into Friday's battle with three goals and seven points on the season, while Iris Achterhof and Carla Morich pace Old Dominion with three assists apiece. Besides Stroud, Ricks is the lone Monarch who has scored more than one goal this season, finding the back of the net twice through six matches.

In goal, Krista Moisio has played all 580 minutes for Old Dominion while collecting 24 saves and a pair of solo shutouts. Moisio owns a 1.24 goals against average and has surrendered eight goals, but the Monarchs have allowed opponents to score more than one goal just twice this season.

A win on Friday evening would be WKU's first in the series against the Monarchs; Old Dominion picked up a 2-1 win in Norfolk in double overtime in WKU's debut year in C-USA in 2014, and the Monarchs claimed a 1-0 win in the most recent meeting between the sides in Bowling Green on Oct. 28, 2016. In its first three seasons in the conference, WKU owns a 2-1 record in C-USA openers.

Following Friday's match, the Lady Toppers will be off until Thursday, Sept. 21, when the team travels to Hattiesburg, Miss., to take on Southern Miss at 4 p.m. WKU is then set to return to the WKU Soccer Complex on Thursday, Sept. 28, at 7 p.m. as the Lady Toppers battle Rice in their C-USA home opener.