It is the point in the OVC season where the good teams truly begin to separate themselves from the rest of the pack. 

Two teams are tied atop the standings. Murray State and Southern Illinois Edwardsville each have 12 conference points. 

Tennessee-Martin is in third place with 10 points, and Eastern is right behind in fourth place with eight points.

Eastern is 2-2-2 in OVC play after going 0-1-1 last weekend. Their draw was against Tennessee-Martin, and it kept the Skyhawks from entering a three-way tie for first place.

However, Tennessee-Martin is the only OVC team without a conference loss this season. Their conference record is 3-0-1, and they lead the conference in goals this season with 26. 

They have also allowed the fewest goals in the OVC, only surrendering nine. 

Murray State is 4-1, and Southern Illinois Edwardsville is 4-2. 

Murray State leads the OVC in assists, picking up 20 in 11 games.

Southern Illinois Edwardsville flipped a switch once conference play began. They were 1-4 early in the season before winning four out of six conference matches. 

Two OVC teams are tied for last in the conference with three conference points apiece. They are Jacksonville State and Morehead State. 

Jacksonville State has only played four conference matches this season and are 1-3. The Gamecocks have scored 13 goals, but nine of those came in their first two matches of the season. Their offense has stagnated since. 

Morehead State has the worst overall record in the OVC at 2-11, and is 1-4 in conference play.

Morehead State has scored the second fewest goals in the conference (9) while allowing the most (29). 

The individual OVC leaderboards have not changed much since early in the season, especially offensively. 

Murray State junior forward Miyah Watford still leads the OVC in goals with eight. She had seven goals through seven games but has slowed down her pace considerably, though she has moved into second place in the OVC in assists. 

Her teammate Abby Jones is still the OVC-leader in assists and is second behind Watford in total points. 

The only Eastern player on an offensive leaderboard is junior Lexi Ketterhagen. She is tied for fourth in the conference in assists with three.

Murray State goalkeeper Alex Steigerwald leads the OVC in save percentage with a mark of .815. Eastern’s Sara Teteak is in fourth with a .787 save percentage. 

Morehead State’s Eva Helgadottir leads the OVC in saves with 70, but she has also allowed the most goals in the conference. 

The conference tournament begins on Oct. 26, and the tournament standings will start to become clear in the three weekends of conference play that remain. 

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