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BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Coming off its first win of the 2018 campaign at Evansville on Thursday, WKU Soccer will head home for its first regular season bout of the year on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m., battling Miami (Ohio) at the WKU Soccer Complex.
Sunday's match, as will be the case for all home matches this season, will feature free admission for all fans into the Soccer Complex. The bout with the RedHawks will be the first of eight regular season home tilts that WKU will host and is the first of three straight at home after the team opened the regular season with three consecutive matches on the road.
In their last time out on Thursday evening, the Lady Toppers (1-2) put on an offensive show at Evansville, scoring early and never looking back en route to a 4-1 win over the Purple Aces. Freshman Ambere Barnett led the way for WKU with two goals and an assist, and both Sarah Gorham and Aleksandra Kozovic found the back of the net for the first time this season.
WKU's 4-1 win over Evansville was its largest margin of victory in a road match since defeating Belmont, 3-0, on Sept. 17, 2016, and its four goals were the most for the squad since netting four, also against Evansville, on Sept. 3, 2017, last season.
Through three matches, Barnett leads the way with five points (two goals, one assist) for the Lady Toppers and is seeking to mark WKU's third straight season with a true freshman finishing in the top two on the squad in goals scored. Chandler Backes was the team leader with 10 strikes in 2016, while Tally Bishop ranked second on the team with a trio of goals in 2017.
Among field players, Gorham and defenders Kaylyn Bryant and Christina Bragado have been constants for WKU through three matches, as all three players have played every possible minute thus far on the season. Gorham, who scored three goals in preseason exhibition play, snapped a long regular season drought without a goal on Thursday, finding the back of the net for the first time since the C-USA Quarterfinals against Charlotte on Nov. 2, 2016, a span of 19 matches.
In goal, Bailee Witt has played every minute since replacing Anne-Marie Ulliac early in the season opener and has performed well, making 11 saves across 262 minutes of action between the posts. With her starts against Ole Miss and Evansville, Witt is the first true freshman to start in goal for the Lady Toppers since four-year starter Allison Leone did so during the 2014 campaign.
Miami (Ohio) has started the regular season with an 0-2 record after bouts with Big Ten foes Northwestern and Indiana. The RedHawks fell against the Wildcats 2-1 last Friday afternoon before dropping a 3-0 shutout against the Hoosiers on Sunday in the Hoosier Challenge Cup. Olivia Winnett owns the lone goal for the RedHawks thus far, with assists from both Jordan King and Reagan Fleck. Miami (Ohio) has been held to only eight shots through two matches and has put five of those on goal.
Patricia Koutoulas has played every minute in goal for the RedHawks, tallying nine saves while surrendering five goals for a goals against average of 2.50. Koutoulas also played every minute in goal for Miami (Ohio) in 2017 as the team posted a 2-15-1 overall record despite a 1.56 goals against average for the senior.
Sunday's tilt is the third all-time meeting between the Lady Toppers and the RedHawks, and WKU will be looking to claim their first win in the series. Miami (Ohio) earned a 4-0 win in the first-ever meeting on Aug. 23, 2015, in Bowling Green before following up with a 3-2 triumph in double overtime on Aug. 26, 2016, two seasons ago.
Following Sunday's battle, WKU will remain at home for its next two contests. In their next time out, the Lady Toppers are set to take on Lipscomb next Friday evening at 6 p.m. as WKU looks to maintain its perfect series record against the Bisons; WKU holds a 6-0 record in the all-time series against Lipscomb and has allowed only two goals across those six matches, including a 2-0 win on Aug. 18, 2017, in the most recent meeting last season.
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