BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU stymied a powerful Saint Louis offense for much of the evening, but Olivia Petit's breakthrough in the 83rd minute dealt the Lady Toppers a 2-1 exhibition setback on Friday evening at the WKU Soccer Complex.
Aleksandra Kozovic, who previously scored off a direct free kick at UTSA last season, replicated the feat early in the match to give WKU an early lead. Freshman Olivia Stanley had a pair of shots as she earned the first start of her collegiate career, and six of WKU's seven freshmen saw action in the second exhibition match of the preseason.
Saint Louis held a 16-6 advantage in shots on the night and held the Lady Toppers without a corner kick. In goal, Anne-Marie Ulliac came up big in key moments for WKU, making five saves while playing the full 90 minutes. For the Billikens, Olivia Silverman played the full match with one save while surrendering Kozovic's strike.
Despite an early threat from the Billikens off a corner kick, WKU struck first on the night at the 10:58 mark. Chandler Backes was brought down by the hard-charging Saint Louis goalkeeper just outside the box, setting up the Lady Toppers with a free kick opportunity from just 20 yards out. With Backes over the ball, Kozovic took the free kick after a short run and buried it into the lower right corner for the early 1-0 advantage.
The Billikens responded just under 10 minutes later to level the match at 1-1. Annabelle Copeland made a long run down the left side and drew Ulliac out of goal with a charge. The redshirt junior slid to try to collect the ball but Copeland was able to pull her dribble around Ulliac's outstretched arms and fire into the empty net for the equalizer.
Saint Louis drew three corner kick opportunities over the final 25 minutes of the first half, but WKU's defense held strong and sent the two sides into the locker room level at one goal apiece.
Early in the second half WKU's forwards went on the attack but were caught offsides three times in the first 15 minutes of the frame. On the last try, Backes flipped an overhead ball to Stanley with no one to beat before the goalkeeper, but the freshman was caught just offside by the sideline referee to end the dangerous threat.
In the 74th minute, Ulliac came up with a pair of fantastic saves to maintain the deadlock. Petit fired from point-blank range to Ulliac's left and the Canadian parried the shot to the right, where Evie Lavelle was there for the rebound. Despite a second chance from just five yards out, Ulliac again denied the Billikens and sent the ball out of play with a strong save.
Petit found the match-winner at the 82:55 mark for Saint Louis. Isabella Palazzolo took a long run up the left side of the field and sent a cross into the box, and Petit was there with a strong volley into the back of the net to take the lead. WKU pushed up over the final five minutes looking for an equalizer, but were unable to come away with a chance on goal.
WKU will round out its preseason exhibition slate on Sunday evening at 6 p.m. as the Lady Toppers welcome Belmont to the WKU Soccer Complex. Following that match, WKU will hit the road for its regular season opener, heading to Murray State at 3 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 17, as the 2018 season officially gets underway.
Western Kentucky University Athletics
- Champions Climb Here
- WKU Athletics
- Athletic Director
- Academic Services
- Annual Report
- Athletic Communications
- Athletic Hall of Fame
- Athletic Training
- CLIMB Program - NIL
- Compliance
- Facilities
- Financial Reports
- For Students
- Student Employment
- Forms/Requests
- Book Big Red
- Donation Requests
- Site Feedback
- For Fans
- Hilltopper Highlights
- Gameday Promotions
- Alumni Tailgates
- Big Red's Rascals
- Basketball Gameday
- Football Gameday
- Mobile Tickets
- Travel Center
- Tickets
- Give
