MACOMB, Ill. – The Western Illinois women's soccer team looks to bounce back after a 2-0 loss to IUPUI when it travels to Southern Utah to take on the Thunderbirds at 5 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 8.

The Fighting Leathernecks (3-5-1, 0-1-0 Summit League) lost to conference foe IUPUI at home their last time out. Western Illinois is 2-2-0 in its last four matches after beginning the season with a 1-3-1 record.

The Thunderbirds (3-7-1, 1-1-0 Summit League) are coming off a 4-2 victory at Oakland their last time out. Southern Utah enters Thursday's match with a 1-3-0 record in its last four matches. The win over Oakland snapped a five-game winless streak for the Thunderbirds.

The Match
Who: Western Illinois (3-5-1, 0-1-0 Summit League) vs. Southern Utah (3-7-1. 1-1-0 Summit League)
When: Thursday Oct. 8 at 5 p.m.
Location: Cedar City, Utah
Stadium: Thunderbird Soccer Field (600)

Coverage

Live Stats for Thursday's match will not be available, click here on Thursday evening for a full recap following the match.

Scouting Report

Scouting the Thunderbirds

Southern Utah is coming off a 4-2 victory over Oakland in its last match. The Thunderbirds have also picked up wins over Utah Valley and Westminster this season. Southern Utah enter's Thursday's match having lost three of its previous four matches, including losses to IPFW, UNLV and BYU.

The Thunderbirds are led by head coach Brian Stock, who is in his ninth season with the team. Stock was hired as the first head coach in Southern Utah history in 2001. He led his teams to back-to-back seven win seasons in 2007 and 2008, tying the school record for wins in a season. Stock came to Southern Utah after three seasons as the assistant women's coach at Youngstown State. He began his coaching career in 1996 as the assistant men's coach at the University of Akron. Stock graduated from Akron in 1995 after spending four seasons as a goalkeeper for the Zips, leading his team to conference titles in 1991, 1993 and 1995.

Offensively, the Thunderbirds are led by sophomore midfielder Riley Bassett, who has tallied eight points on two goals and four assists this season. Bassett is one of six Southern Utah players who have recorded two or more goals in 2009. Southern Utah is also led on offense by Makell Southworth, who leads the team with three goals this year.

On defense, Southern Utah is led by a pair of goalkeepers who split time in the net. Freshman Breana Fitzgerald has appeared in seven matches this season and made six starts. She has a record of 2-3-1 with a 1.71 goals against average and a .778 save percentage this season. Redshirt-Freshman Charly Booth has appeared in six matches this season, making five starts. Booth is 1-4-0 this year and has recorded a 2.04 goals against average and a .694 save percentage.

Match Notes

Word Cup Countdown

Western Illinois sophomore Demi Vance will leave for Northern Ireland on Oct. 13. The Belfast, Northern Ireland native will compete in World Cup Qualifying matches for her home country. Vance will return for the Leathernecks final two regular-season matches against Oakland and IPFW.

Newcomers Make a Difference

The Leathernecks have seen nine different players score a goal this season. A total of six first-year players have scored at least one goal this season. Freshman forward Kellie Julius is tied for the team lead with three goals and ranks second on the team with six points.

Atkinson Steps Up

Western Illinois freshman goalkeeper Laura Atkinson made 12 saves in last week's 2-0 loss to IUPUI. Atkinson enterd in the 25th minute of the match and shutout the Jaguars the rest of the way in her first action since the season opener at Butler. The Oregon, Wis., native is 0-1-0 with a 1.65 goals against average and a .895 save percentage this season.

Series History

Western Illinois is 2-5-1 all-time against Southern Utah. The Thunderbirds came away with a 3-2 victory over the Leathernecks in 2008. Western's most recent win in the series came in a 3-0 home victory in 2007.

Next Up

The Leathernecks will travel to UMKC for a Summit League match at 1 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 10.