West Central Reporter

Western Illinois University's soccer team is set for a challenging week two of Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) play. They will face Morehead State at home on Thursday, September 26, and then travel to Southeast Missouri State (SEMO) for a match on Sunday, September 29. Both matches are crucial as Western Illinois seeks its first win of the season.

Morehead State has had a strong start to their season with a 4-3-3 record. They recently defeated Eastern Illinois 5-1. The team is notable for having both the best scoring offense and defense in the conference, averaging 1.3 goals per game while allowing just 1.2 goals per contest. Hedda Ornberg stands out with four goals this season, ranking second in the OVC.

On the other hand, SEMO has struggled early in the season, losing their first six matches and drawing against Southern Indiana on Sunday. SEMO scores an average of 0.286 goals per game and allows 2.714 goals per game, placing them near the bottom of these statistics in the OVC.

Western Illinois comes into this weekend with an 0-8 record after losing to Lindenwood in their conference opener. Goalkeeper Ariel Bernard was recognized as an OVC Notable Performer following her ten-save match against Lindenwood and leads the conference with an average of eight saves per game.

The Leathernecks return 23 players from last year's squad, including key players like Isabel Navas Rodriguez and Sydnee Sagal. Junior Hana Daoudi and sophomore Alanna Pennington also return after significant contributions last season.

Senior Kayla Turner has been highlighted as a Player to Watch for Western Illinois. In her fourth season with the team, Turner scored the Leathernecks' first goal of this year's OVC conference season and contributed significantly last year despite limited playing time due to injury.

Coach Josee Primeau has added seven newcomers to strengthen the squad, including three junior transfer forwards: Callie McMurtrey from Jefferson College, Autumn Wilson from Cody, WY who scored 16 goals in her sophomore year, and Landry McCoid who netted 35 goals in ICCAC competition last season before joining Western Illinois. Four freshmen have also joined: goalkeeper Ariel Bernard, outside back Hilary Halpin, defensive midfielder Aofie Boulter, and midfielder Ava Bell.

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