NAIA #6 Embry-Riddle (2-1-1) at NAIA #1 Lindsey Wilson (2-0)
DATE: Sunday, Sept 8, 2013
CITY: Orange Beach, Fla.
SITE: Orange Beach Sportsplex
START: 12 p.m. (CDT)
SERIES: LWC leads 4-0
LAST MEETING: LWC def. ERAU 3-0 on Nov. 28, 2012
LIVE STATS: Stretch Internet
TWITTER: @ERAUWSoccer
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ABOUT THE EAGLES
The Eagles enter Sunday's game with a 2-1-1 ledger following a 4-0 defeat of Auburn Montgomery in Hattiesburg, Miss. on Friday. The Eagles, who scored once in the first half and three times in the second, got a hat trick from senior
Martine Olsen and three assists from her fellow senior
Valerie Obita.
Isabelle Haaranen and
Tova Torstensson added a goal and an assist, respectively.
Martine Olsen leads all Eagle scorers with four goals, while
Valerie Obita leads the Eagles in assists with three.
ABOUT THE BLUE RAIDERS
Ranked No. 1 in the NAIA Preseason Coaches' Top 25 Poll, Lindsey Wilson is 3-0 on the year. The Blue Raiders notched their third win on Friday with a 2-1 victory over NAIA No. 14 William Carey. Renee Hurd, Natasha Gensetter and Jamie Stanton have two goals apiece, while Ayaki Shinada has contributed two assists.
THE ERAU-LWC SERIES
The Eagles and the Blue Raiders has squared off four times, including two meetings in 2012. The last contest between the two teams came in the quarterfinal round of the 2012 NAIA National Championship. Lindsey Wilson scored three first half to top the Eagles 3-0 on the way to winning the 2012 national title.
THE LAST TIME THEY MET
The Embry-Riddle women's soccer team's 2012 campaign came to an end with a 3-0 loss to No. 2 seed Lindsey Wilson in the quarterfinal round of the 2012 NAIA Women's Soccer National Championship at the Orange Beach Sportsplex.
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The Blue Raiders put the Eagles under pressure from the first whistle and their offensive press resulted in a 15-0 advantage in shots and a 12-1 advantage in corner kicks in the first half. The Eagle defense was able to withstand the attack for much of the first half, including a strong goalkeeper effort by
Lauren Gallant who stopped two shots in rapid succession midway through the frame.
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Lindsey Wilson was finally able to get the break-through goal in the 28th minute off the boot of Renee Hurd. Goals by Katarina Simic and Mia Persson came quickly after as the Blue Raiders scored all three goals in an eight –minute span.
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The second half saw the Eagles step up their offensive effort, outshooting Lindsey Wilson 6-2 in the period. Despite a few close calls, including a
Martine Olsen shot that hit the underside of the cross bar, the Eagles were unable to get on the scoreboard, giving Lindsey Wilson the win.
RECORD CHASERS
With her hat trick against Auburn Montgomery, senior
Martine Olsen is just four goals away from tying the all-time scoring record held by Elina Johansson (2007-10). She also added to her program-best game-winning goal tally and now stands at 18.Â
ERAU Women's Soccer Individual Records
EMBRY-RIDDLE BY THE NUMBERS
2 – NAIA National Quarterfinal Appearances
5 – Seniors on the 2013 roster
9 – Home contests for the Eagles this season, including five TSC games
12 – NAIA National Tournament Appearances
16 – Seasons of Embry-Riddle Women's Soccer
65 – Wins amassed by the 2013 senior class
PRESEASON FAVORITES
The Blue and Gold topped The Sun Conference preseason poll for the fourth consecutive season after advancing to the NAIA National Tournament quarterfinals in 2012 and claiming the 2012 Sun Conference Tournament Crown, the squad's fourth straight tournament title.
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The Eagles, coached by 2012 Conference Coach of the Year Bohon received five first-place votes and 115 total points in the poll, never placing below second on any ballot. Embry-Riddle returns five All-Conference performers from a 17-6 (8-1) team a year ago, including second team All-America honoree
Valerie Obita and third team All-America selection
Tova Torstensson.
TOP 10 RANKING
The Eagles opened the 2013 season ranked sixth in the nation according to the NAIA Women's Soccer Coaches' Preseason Top 25 Poll released on Aug. 20. This marks the second straight year that Eagles have been ranked in the nation's top 10 in the preseason poll.
TOUGH SLATE
Bohon has put together one of the best schedules in the country for the Eagles in 2013, including Friday's contest against Stetson. All but one of the Eagles' non-conference NAIA opponents made the NAIA National Championship last season, including defending champion and preseason No. 1 Lindsey Wilson, No. 5 Concordia (Ore.), No. 7 Mobile, No. 11 Kansas Wesleyan, No. 14 William Carey and (RV) Auburn Montgomery.
