2019 (Senior): Finished her career tied for the seventh most points scored by a Lady Topper with 50 total…She also scored the eighth most career goals by a Lady Topper with 21…Took 115 shots in her career on The Hill, ranking as the ninth most in program history…Played in all 18 matches and got the starting nod in 10 in 2019…Scored three goals and notched two assists for eight total points…Scored the first goal against Samford…Netted the match-winning goal on Senior Night against UAB…Footed the Lady Toppers’ only goal in the C-USA Tournament against Charlotte…Assisted on Taylor Stanley’s goal against Alabama A&M…Set up Ansley Cate’s match-winning goal at UTEP…Named to the C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll...Earned Dean's List honors for the fall semester and was named to the President's List in the spring.
2018 (Junior): Appeared in all 17 matches with 10 starts in 2018, finishing with two goals and two assists… Her 30 shots (16 on goal) ranked third among all Lady Toppers… Scored her goals against Kentucky Christian (Sept. 3) and Rice (Oct. 14)… Also tallied an assist vs. Kentucky Christian and at Evansville (Aug. 23)… Played a season-best 83 minutes against Lipscomb (Aug. 31)… Moved into a tie for eighth place on WKU’s all-time career goalscoring list and has 18 goals entering her senior campaign.
2017 (Sophomore): Moved into the top 10 on WKU's all-time goalscoring list after just two seasons, notching six more goals to bring her career tally to 16... Picked up her fourth career two-goal match and added an assist for her second career five-point match against Evansville (Sept. 3)... Converted her first career penalty kick at Austin Peay (Aug. 25)... Scored the match-winning goals against the Purple Aces and FIU (Oct. 15)... Played a career-high 96 minutes in a double overtime draw at Southern Miss (Sept. 21)... Finished her sophomore campaign with team-best marks for goals (six), shots (33), shots on goal (16) and total points (15).
2016 (Freshman): Enjoyed one of the finest freshman campaigns in program history, becoming just the fifth player in program history to record double-digit goals in a single season… Finished with 10 goals, including three two-goal matches against UT Martin (Aug. 19), Georgia State (Sept. 4) and Morehead State (Sept. 11)… Had three match-winning goals over Morehead State, Marshall (Sept. 15) and Southern Miss (Sept. 22)… Finished the season with 21 points, tied for the eighth-most in a single season in school history and the most by any Lady Toppers since 2012… Earned C-USA Offensive Player of the Week honors one time (Sept. 6) and became just the second Lady Topper to earn recognition on a national weekly team, earning a spot on TopDrawerSoccer’s Team of the Week… Claimed Third Team All-C-USA and All-Freshman honors following the season.
Prior to WKU: Backes joins the Lady Toppers following a highly successful club and high school career. The Carmel, Ind. native participated in ODP in her younger years, before joining Ohio Elite in the Elite Club National League (ECNL) for two years. She currently plays with the Indiana Premier Soccer Club. While a part of Ohio Elite, Backes participated in the ECNL Player Development Camp. In high school, Backes was a two-time All-State honoree and was named All-Conference and All-District all four years of her prep career. Backes was team captain her senior year and finished her career with 23 goals, nine game winners and 15 assists. Backes also lettered in Track and Field.
Neidell on Backes: "Chandler is a goal-oriented and driven student-athlete who expects the best from herself and others. She is the most versatile player in this class and has high-level experience playing about every position except goalkeeper. Her overall athleticism will help her make a significant immediate impact on our team. She is an important piece to the puzzle for our 2016 team, and we look forward to finding out exactly how her versatility can be utilized to make the biggest splash for us."
