West Central Reporter

Western Illinois University will face Southern Indiana in their final match of the season at Strassweg Field, Evansville. The game is scheduled for October 27 at 1 PM Central Time.

Southern Indiana enters the match with a record of 4-8-5 overall and 3-2-3 in conference play. They are currently positioned fifth in the OVC Women's Soccer Championship standings and cannot fall below sixth place. In recent games, Southern Indiana has shown strong performance by defeating Morehead State and Little Rock, and drawing against SIUE last Sunday. After a winless start in their first eight matches, they have improved significantly towards the end of the season.

Western Illinois holds a record of 1-13-1 overall and 1-6-1 in conference play. Despite being at the bottom of the standings, they still have an opportunity to qualify for the OVC championship. For this to happen, Western Illinois must win against Southern Indiana and rely on results from other matches: Morehead State needs to beat SIUE, while UT Martin and SEMO should draw.

The Leathernecks have struggled offensively recently but aim to improve their scoring record in Sunday's game. The team returns with 23 players from last year's squad, including key figures like Isabel Navas Rodriguez, Sydnee Sagal, Hana Daoudi, and Alanna Pennington.

Kayla Turner is highlighted as a player to watch for Western Illinois. She has been with the team for four seasons and contributed significantly since her freshman year despite missing most of her sophomore season due to injury.

This year’s squad includes seven new members aiming to strengthen the team's offense after last year's challenges. Coach Josee Primeau has brought in three junior transfer forwards—Callie McMurtrey from Jefferson College, Autumn Wilson from Cody, WY who scored 16 goals as a sophomore last year, and Landry McCoid who netted 35 goals at Iowa Central CC—and four freshmen: goalkeeper Ariel Bernard, outside back Hilary Halpin, defensive midfielder Aofie Boulter, and midfielder Ava Bell.