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MARTIN, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin soccer team visits the state of Illinois for a pair of Ohio Valley Conference matches this weekend, taking on Eastern Illinois on Friday, Oct. 5 before battling SIU Edwardsville two days later.
UT Martin has won four of the last six contests against Eastern Illinois and has never lost in four opportunities against SIU Edwardsville.
The Skyhawks enter this weekend with an overall record of 5-4-3 and have not lost since Sept. 7. During its six-match unbeaten streak, UT Martin has gotten off to a 2-0-1 start in league play – good enough for second place in the league standings.
Offensively, UT Martin ranks as one of the top teams in the OVC. The Skyhawks pace the league in points (65, 5.42 per match), assists (21, 1.75 per match) and shots (215, 17.92 per match).
Seven Skyhawks have scored at least two goals so far in 2012, led by senior Kendyl Wilson (five goals) and freshman Saphyra Coombs-James (four). Wilson ranks second in the OVC in points (13) while Coombs-James is one of only eight players in the league to rack up double-digit points.
Hannah McGowen and Dominika Conc are tied for second in the league with four assists apiece. McGowen is the reigning OVC Offensive Player of the Week after her first career multi-goal outing in UT Martin’s 2-1 win over Murray State last Sunday. Conc is currently on a hot streak, as she has scored at least one point in five of the last six matches for the Skyhawks.
Defensively, Amy Maksimowicz anchors a UT Martin defensive attack that has had held its opponents to one goal or less in all six matches during the unbeaten stretch. An All-OVC Newcomer in 2011, Maksimowicz is one of only two Skyhawks (along with Wilson) to have started every match this season.
In goal, sophomore Mariah Klenke has posted a 1.37 Goals Against Average and snared 51 saves in 11 matches for UT Martin. Redshirt junior Sarah Tompkins made her season debut in last Sunday’s win over Murray State, making eight saves in all 90 minutes.
Eastern Illinois (3-9, 1-2 OVC) snapped a five-match losing streak last Sunday with a 3-2 overtime victory at Tennessee Tech. In that match, the Panthers erased a 2-0 deficit with 20 minutes remaining in regulation to force overtime before Hannah Miller came up with the game-winning goal in the 96th minute.
Offensively, Kristin Germann is responsible for four of Eastern Illinois’ 10 goals this season while Allie Lakie has handed out three of the Panthers’ six assists.
Jessica Taldone has logged all but 45:46 of the Panthers’ minutes in goal, tallying a 1.84 GAA while posting an OVC-best 77 saves in goal.
SIU Edwardsville enters the weekend with a 4-5-1 record and 1-2 OVC mark. The Cougars dropped a pair of road decisions (at Tennessee Tech and Jacksonville State) last weekend but downed Eastern Illinois 1-0 in their OVC opener.
Michelle Auer ranks second in the OVC in shots (39, 3.90 per match) while leading SIU Edwardsville in points (eight on three goals and two assists). She has put 26 of her 39 shots (66.7 percent) on goal.
The Cougars rank second in the OVC in shutouts (four), thanks to the strong goalkeeper play of Jennifer Pelley. She ranks second in the league in GAA (0.80) and save percentage (.854) while conceding just seven goals against 41 saves.