The OVC is gearing up for the beginning of conference play this weekend. 

Eastern currently sits in 9th place in the 11-team conference with a record of 1-4-2. They kick off the conference season on the road against Morehead State on Sept. 14 and then travel to Eastern Kentucky on Sept. 16.

Morehead State occupies last place in the OVC with a 1-7 record. They have allowed a conference-high 21 goals so far this season. Their five goals scored are the second-fewest in the conference. 

Leading the Eagles on offense is senior forward Dani Wilson with two goals. Sophomore goalkeeper Eva Helgadottir is leading the conference in saves with 49. Her save percentage of .790 is the 3rd best in the OVC. 

Eastern Kentucky is in 5th in the OVC and are the conference’s only team with a .500 record. 

The Colonels already have a three-match winning streak and a two-match losing streak this season. They have also scored the 2nd-most goals in the conference with 12. 

They have also surrendered 13 goals this season, the 3rd most in the conference. 

Eastern Kentucky has three players in the top-10 in points in the OVC: Idalys Rea, Sarah Owusu and Erin Torrence. 

Rea leads the team in points with seven in her senior season, courtesy of three goals and two assists. Torrence, a junior, has added two goals and three assists. 

Owusu, a sophomore, has three goals this season and is without an assist. 

Their goalkeeper is Zoe Aguirre, who is 3rd in the OVC in saves as a true freshman.

The top spot in the OVC standings is once again occupied by Murray State. 

Last season, Murray State was unbeaten in the conference at 8-0-2, finishing the season with an overall record of 15-2-2. 

They are off the a 4-1-1 start this season. But they have not been blowing the opposition away. 

The Racers have scored 11 goals this season and allowed eight. However, they do have the top two points leaders in the conference. 

Junior forward Miyah Watford leads the OVC in goals and total points with 13. She has six goals this season in only six games. In 2017, Watford had six goals in 18 games. 

With nine points is the OVc’s 2nd-highest scorer Abby Jones. As a freshman, Jones has two goals and a conference-leading five assists. Four of her assists came on goals from Watford. 

At 5-2 Tennessee Martin is tied for 2nd place in the OVC with Austin Peay. As a team, they lead the conference with 19 goals in just seven games. 

Eastern has a tall task next weekend starting on Sept. 21. They play Murray State and Austin Peay in consecutive matches. The following weekend they play Belmont and then Tennessee-Martin.

Playing the top three teams in the conference in a four-match span will likely be a very important moment in the conference season. 

Adam Tumino can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].