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BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – After a win and a draw in its opening weekend of play last weekend, WKU Soccer will be seeking its best start to a season since 2009 when the Lady Toppers travel to Samford (Friday at 7 p.m.) and archrival Middle Tennessee (Sunday at 5 p.m.) to close out their early-season road swing.
Friday's meeting with Samford will be the first in the series since 2017, while Sunday's matchup with the Blue Raiders will be a special non-conference match. Due to C-USA's conference scheduling, the two sides did not meet last season and were not scheduled to play in 2019, with the two coaching staffs agreeing to play Sunday's match in lieu of a conference battle.
Last week, WKU (1-0-1) opened its 2019 campaign with a 5-0 victory over Belmont on Thursday evening before taking in-state SEC foe Kentucky to a scoreless double overtime draw on the road last Sunday afternoon. Through 200 minutes, WKU has yet to surrender a goal, with Anne-Marie Ulliac having played all but 15 minutes between the posts. WKU has never opened a season with three consecutive shutouts, giving the Lady Toppers a chance to make program history against the Bulldogs on Friday evening.
Reigning C-USA Defensive Player of the Week Avery Jacobsen will help to spearhead WKU's defensive effort this weekend. The Las Vegas native played every minute in both of WKU's season-opening matches en route to earning the first weekly award of her career on The Hill. Seniors Kaylyn Bryant and Christina Bragado are also set to serve as anchors along WKU's stout back line.
Offensively, Ansley Cate scored a pair of goals in the first 10 minutes of her first collegiate regular season match against Belmont, and Ambere Barnett, Chelsea Moore and Katie Erwin each added a strike of their own against the Bruins as WKU totaled its second-highest scoring output in a season opener in program history. Should the Lady Toppers earn a win or draw against Samford on Friday, WKU would have its longest unbeaten start to a season since 2009, when the Lady Toppers started with a 3-0 record.
Samford (0-1-1) opened the season with a scoreless draw against UAB last Thursday before suffering a 2-0 setback against Murray State. The Bulldogs are coming off a 12-6-1 record in 2018 that saw the squad reach the semifinals of the SoCon Tournament before falling against Furman. Samford is still seeking its first goal of the season, but Taylor Young and Alyssa Frazier have both been offensive threats through the first two matches with a team-best seven shots apiece.
In goal, Morgan McAslan has played all 200 minutes thus far for the Bulldogs with 12 saves, including an impressive 10-save outing in the season opener against UAB to shut out the Blazers.
Friday's match will mark a homecoming of sorts for Lucy Lyon, who joined the Lady Toppers this summer after transferring from Samford. Lyon was on the Bulldogs' roster in 2018, but redshirted after not appearing in a match.
Middle Tennessee (2-0) began the season with two easy victories over Evansville and Austin Peay, outscoring the two opponents by a combined 9-1 margin. Preseason C-USA Offensive Player of the Year Peyton DePriest has led the attack for the Blue Raiders thus far with three goals, while Hannah Tillett has been the team's top point producer with eight points (two goals, four assists). Five different Blue Raiders have found the back of the net through two matches, and Middle Tennessee has outshot its two opponents 49-11 after 180 minutes.
Sydney Chalcraft has started both matches and seen the majority of time in goal for Middle Tennessee, making three saves and allowing just one goal in just over 142 minutes of action. Hannah Suder has also played between the posts for 38 minutes and has made one save.
The all-time rivalry record between the Lady Toppers and Blue Raiders is all tied up through 18 matches, with each side holding identical 6-6-6 marks in the longtime series.
WKU will be back at the Soccer Complex following this weekend's matches for a marquee non-conference home match next Thursday evening at 7 p.m. as the Lady Toppers welcome Ole Miss to Bowling Green. In the most recent meeting between the two sides at the Soccer Complex, WKU came away with a thrilling 2-1 overtime victory on Aug. 22, 2008, and the Lady Toppers will be looking to recreate that result as the team looks to extend its 12-match unbeaten streak at home.
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