Murray State (6-1-0, 6-1-0 OVC) at SIUE (5-0-1, 5-0-1 OVC)
Date: Friday, March 26, 2021
First Kick: 7 p.m., CT
Location: Bob Guelker Field at Ralph Korte Stadium, SIUE
All-Time Series: SIUE leads 8-4-1
Last Meeting: September 22, 2019 (L, 5-0) | Korte Stadium, SIUE
Video: ESPN+
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Game Notes: Game Notes
SCOUTING THE RACERS
The Murray State Racers are entering Friday's contest at 6-1, good for the most wins in the
Ohio Valley Conference. Murray State finished the 2019 season with a 11-8 record, going 8-2 in OVC play.
SIUE and Murray State will meet for the 15th time on Friday, and the Cougars hold a 8-4-1 lead in the all-time series. Last season, SIUE dropped their lone meeting with the Racers, falling 5-0 on September 22, 2019.
LAST TIME OUT
A BALANCED ATTACK
Nine SIUE players have scored at least once through the first six matches of the Spring 2021 season, led by
MacKenzie Litzsinger's five goals. In addition, 10 Cougars have assisted on at least one goal this season, leading to an incredibly balanced attack.
TOP OF THE TABLE
The Cougars have continued their outstanding run of form entering the latter half of the Spring 2021 season, standing alongside Southeast Missouri (5-0-1) as the only two programs that are unbeaten heading into Friday's contest.
A LOOK BACK
The Cougars enter the Spring 2021 season coming off a 10-5-5 season in 2019, including a 5-2-3 record in Ohio Valley Conference play. SIUE's success in the regular season earned them a spot in the OVC Tournament, where they fell to Belmont in a heartbreaking penalty shootout to decide the conference championship.
RETURNING TALENT
A number of key contributors from last season will be returning in 2021, including OVC Player to Watch and the Cougars' leading goal scorer in 2019, MacKenzie Litzsinger. Also returning will be goalkeeper Jensen Schoch and midfielder Andrea Frerker, who boasted the team's third-highest points total last season.
FRESH FACES
The program will also welcome four newcomers to the squad:
- Sidney Christopher, a forward/midfielder from New Baden, Illinois, who played at O'Fallon High School and Saint Louis Scott Gallagher prior to arriving at SIUE
- Matea Diekema, a midfielder from Grand Rapids, Michigan, and younger sister of Cougar senior Myah Diekema
- Jay Viola, a forward/midfielder from St. Peter's, Missouri, who led Francis Howell Central High School with 21 points and 10 goals scored as a senior, including three game-winning goals
- Mary Wessel, a defender from Waterloo, Illinois, who tallied seven points on three goals and an assist as a senior at Althoff Catholic High School in nearby Belleville, Illinois
THE SEASON AHEAD
The OVC announced that women's soccer teams would play a 10-match conference-only schedule in Spring 2021, followed by a four-team tournament to determine the OVC champion. The schedule will use a round-robin format in which teams will play against every other team in the conference once.
