With the first weekend of conference play in the books, the Eastern women’s soccer team is tied atop the OVC standings with Austin Peay. 

The Panthers beat Morehead State 1-0 in the conference opener on Sept. 14 and then played Eastern Kentucky to a scoreless draw on Sept. 16.

They picked up four out of a possible six conference points, putting them in position to make a run at the OVC tournament. 

“Now we’re in conference play and results mean everything,” head coach Jake Plant said. “Even ties are crucial.”

One of the main focuses for the Panthers in practice this week was defense. Last weekend they surrendered five goals in two matches, both losses.

“The attention to detail in defending during the games Friday and Sunday was very good,” Plant said. “Giving up five goals in a week is not fun. So to turn around and concede zero goals on a weekend is very pleasing.”

The Panthers were led in match against Morehead State by junior midfielder Lexi Ketterhagen and junior goalkeeper Sara Teteak.

Ketterhagen scored her second goal on the season, entering a tie for the team lead in points. 

Teteak made eight saves, six in the second half to earn her third shutout of the season. 

Her fourth shutout came against Eastern Kentucky, which tied her for the OVC lead in shutouts. 

The Panthers outshot the Colonels 13-12, though none of the shots found the net. 

“I give credit to the EKU goalkeeper,” Plant said. “I thought she came up with about three outstanding saves. On another day, maybe those shots go in.”

Eastern Kentucky’s goalkeeper is Zoe Aguirre. The freshman is 2nd in the OVC in saves this season. 

The Panthers have also had a few standout performers this year. 

In addition to her shutout numbers, Teteak is 5th in the OVC in saves and 2nd in save percentage. 

On offense, junior Sarah DeWolf is 9th in the conference with 18 shots. 

Ketterhagen is tied with DeWolf and Haylee Renick for the team lead in points and goals, but all three are just outside the OVC leaderboards. 

Plant is still optimistic that the offense as a whole will break out at some point in conference play. 

“We created opportunities,” Plant said. “That’s the main thing. We didn’t score, but if we had not created any opportunities I’d have been concerned.”

The Panthers have 90 shots this season, 45 of which have been on goal. Their shot on goal percentage of 50 percent is higher than that of their opponent’s, which sits at 45.7 percent.

“The hardest thing in soccer is to score,” Plant said. “We’ll keep working on putting the ball in the back of the net this week.”

After playing only three of their nine matches at home this season, the Panthers will be at Lakeside Field for the next four matches. 

Their opponents during that stretch will be Murray State, Austin Peay, Belmont and Tennessee-Martin.

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