Josée Primeau Head Coach | Western Illinois University Leathernecks Website
Josée Primeau Head Coach | Western Illinois University Leathernecks Website
Western Illinois University's women's soccer team is preparing for crucial matches against Eastern Illinois and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) in the penultimate week of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) season. The Leathernecks, who currently hold a 2-6-4 overall record and are winless in conference play, will face Eastern Illinois on Thursday at John MacKenzie Alumni Field in Macomb, Illinois. This will be their first home encounter with the Panthers since 2015.
The history between Western and Eastern has been competitive, with Eastern holding a slight edge with a 10-6-2 record. In contrast, Western's encounters with SIUE have been limited to four matches, resulting in two losses, one win, and one draw for the Leathernecks. Notably, their last two meetings went into overtime.
Eastern Illinois has struggled this season with an overall record of 2-7-3 and only one non-conference victory against Division 2 UI-Springfield. Freshman Abby Reinl leads the team offensively with nine points this season, ranking sixth in the OVC.
SIUE has had a better start to their OVC campaign compared to Eastern Illinois. They stand fifth in the conference after securing eight points from their matches so far. Last week saw them earn draws against Little Rock and Tennessee Tech. The Cougars have showcased a balanced attack with eleven different players finding the back of the net this season.
Western Illinois aims to recover from recent setbacks following consecutive 1-0 losses last week. Despite starting their OVC campaign with three draws, they have only managed to score once while conceding three goals over five games.
Key players for Western include junior Kayla Turner, who was named Leatherneck Insider Athlete of the Week due to her goal-scoring performance against UT-Martin. Goalkeeper Isabel Navas Rodriguez also stood out by making 15 saves across last week's matches.
Looking ahead, Western will conclude its regular-season schedule next week with games against Little Rock on Thursday and Lindenwood at home on Sunday.
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