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BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU will host a pair of matches at the WKU Soccer Complex this weekend, first welcoming SEC foe Vanderbilt at 6 p.m. on Friday evening before closing its non-conference slate on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m against Samford, the final match of the Lady Toppers' current four-match homestand.
For Friday's match, the first 100 fans in attendance will receive a free WKU Soccer scarf, and the first 50 members of the Red Wave student group will be treated to free food. Sunday's match will feature Big Red's Rascals and Elementary Education Day as young fans and their friends and family are encouraged to come out and support the Lady Toppers. All fans will receive free admission to both of this weekend's matches.
WKU enters the weekend with a 3-2 overall record and has won each of its last two matches, including a 4-1 victory over Evansville on Sunday afternoon. Chandler Backes found the back of the net twice for the Lady Toppers in the win, and both Ashley Leonard and Megan Morris added tallies as WKU notched its most goals in a single match since also scoring four against Georgia State on Sept. 4, 2016.
Backes' strikes against the Purple Aces were her third and fourth of the season, and the sophomore now sits just one goal shy of entering the top 10 in program history with 14 in her first 24 matches. The Carmel, Ind., native currently leads all C-USA players in both goals per match (0.8) and points per match (2.0) this season and has scored in three of WKU's five matches thus far.
Defensively, WKU has been a force over the last two matches, surrendering just one goal in its 184 minutes played at the Soccer Complex this season. Along the back line, Christina Bragado has helped to anchor the defense from her center back position, while freshman Avery Jacobsen has stepped up as well, playing all but nine minutes against UT Martin and Evansville.
In goal, Allison Leone has played all but nine minutes this season with 21 saves and a pair of solo shutouts; the senior owns a 1.01 goals against average and has given up just five goals in 445 minutes played.
Vanderbilt comes into Friday's match with an even 3-3 record on the season, but has dropped its last two outings against Indiana and Rhode Island, each by a 1-0 score. Simone Charley is the lone Commodore with multiple goals through six matches, having scored a pair, while Rebecca Rossett, Jackie Welch and Grace Jackson have all scored once. Charley also leads the Commodores with five points and 16 shots, five of which have been put on target.
Kaitlyn Fahrner has seen the majority of the action between the posts, playing 450 minutes with one shutout and 35 saves, and Lauren Demarchi has also seen time at the goalkeeper spot with just under 92 minutes on the pitch and four saves.
Against Vanderbilt, WKU will be seeking its first victory over a Power 5 conference opponent since downing Ole Miss in overtime, 2-1, on Aug. 22, 2008. The visit from the Commodores also marks the second straight season that an SEC opponent has made the trip to Bowling Green; last season, WKU battled against LSU on Sept. 8 and nearly came away with a victory before falling in a hotly-contested 1-0 defeat.
On Sunday, WKU will be renewing its series against Samford for the first time since 2002, having split a pair of meetings against the Bulldogs in the first two seasons in program history. Samford currently owns a 1-5 record in 2017 and will host Georgia on Friday evening before making the trip up to Bowling Green on Sunday afternoon; the Bulldogs' lone win thus far came in a 5-0 shutout of Alabama State on Sept. 1.
Six different Samford players have found the back of the net this season, led by four goals from Jermaine Seoposenwe. Seoposenwe also leads the Bulldogs with 10 points and has put 12 of her team-best 21 shots on target. Korrie Sauder has also notched multiple goals in 2017, scoring twice for Samford and also dishing out one assist.
Three different players have manned the goal for the Bulldogs this season, led by Anna Maddox's 446 minutes. Maddox has started five of Samford's six matches, but owns a 2.42 goals against average with 12 goals allowed and 18 saves. Stephanie Westaway has played just over 76 minutes in goal, making one save and allowing one goal, and Sarah Throne has played 17 scoreless minutes between the posts.
Following Sunday's match, the Lady Toppers will return to action on Friday, Sept. 15, with their C-USA opener at Old Dominion at 6 p.m. CT; WKU will be seeking its first-ever victory against the Monarchs after dropping one-goal decision in 2014 (2-1 in double overtime) and 2016 (1-0). WKU will not return to the WKU Soccer Complex until a battle against Rice on Thursday, Sept. 28, at 7 p.m.
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