BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU knocked off preseason OVC favorite Murray State on Wednesday evening at the WKU Soccer Complex, capitalizing on goals by Ambere Barnett and Ashley Leonard to claim a 2-0 exhibition win to open its 2019 preseason slate.
Barnett, a preseason All-C-USA pick, converted a chance in the fifth minute to put WKU in front early, and Leonard's strike midway through the second half doubled the lead as the Lady Toppers held on down the stretch.
Five of WKU's new freshmen saw their first match action at the Soccer Complex, led by 60 minutes from defender Sydney Ernst. Ashley Kobylinski also made her debut in goal for WKU, playing the entire second half and making five saves to preserve the shutout in an impressive first match on The Hill.
Leonard and Chandler Backes led the Lady Toppers with three shots apiece, while Murray State's Lilly Strader led all players with five shots on the night. Both teams put eight of their 16 chances on goal, with only WKU's breakthrough in each half creating the difference.
Anne-Marie Ulliac, who started last season's opener in goal before suffering a season-ending injury, started on Wednesday evening and made three saves to earn the win before giving way to Kobylinski in the second half. For Murray State, Jamie Skarupsky took the loss despite five saves in just under 79 minutes of action.
Following Barnett's early goal off a feed from Tally Bishop, WKU enjoyed another flurry of chances a few minutes later, sending three shots just wide in search of an insurance goal. Ulliac kept the Lady Toppers in front with a strong save in the 19th minute, leaving the Lady Toppers clinging to their 1-0 advantage.
Just before the half, Leonard nearly added a goal in the final minute of play but was denied by a save from Skarupsky, sending the two sides into the locker room with Barnett's goal being the difference maker.
Both sides came out firing in the second half, with Kobylinski making a trio of saves in her first seven minutes of action to keep Murray State off the board. On the other side, Bishop and Kaylyn Bryant got good looks on goal but were unable to find the back of the net as the Lady Toppers continued to look to expand their lead.
Leonard's strike at the 69:15 mark finally gave WKU the insurance goal that it had been seeking. The junior collected a deflection in the box and fired a blast past Skarupsky to put WKU up 2-0 with just over 20 minutes remaining.
In the closing minutes, the Racers attempted to push up to cut into the deficit, but WKU's back line held strong and closed out the shutout in its preseason opener.
With Wednesday's match in the books, WKU will be right back in action twice this weekend as the Lady Toppers welcome Wright State (Friday at 6 p.m.) and Austin Peay (Sunday at 6 p.m.) to the Soccer Complex to close out their preseason exhibition schedule. Both of this weekend's matches will be streamed live on Facebook via WKU's expanded partnership with the Hilltopper Sports Satellite Network and will be free to view for all fans.
Western Kentucky University Athletics
- Champions Climb Here
- WKU Athletics
- Athletic Director
- Academic Services
- Annual Report
- Athletic Communications
- Athletic Hall of Fame
- Athletic Training
- Big Red
- 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
