Who | Western Illinois (2-7-5, 0-3-4) at Little Rock (4-3-8, 1-2-4) / vs. Lindenwood (3-11-1, 1-6)
When | Thursday, October 19, 6 PM CT / Sunday, October 22, 1 PM CT
Where | Coleman Sports Complex, Little Rock, AR / John MacKenzie Alumni Field, Macomb, IL
Social Media | Instagram + Twitter + Facebook

Previous matchup: Western Illinois and Little Rock have only squared off once in women's soccer. Western defeated the Trojans by a score of 4-1 in a match played in Little Rock back in August of 2012. Little Rock and Western will face off yearly in the OVC going forward. 
Lindenwood and Western will face off for the first time on Sunday, a matchup that will be critical for both sides, as it is the last game of the OVC season. 

Scouting the opponents: Little Rock holds a 1-2-4 record in the OVC, and has picked up a result in all but 3 matches this year, with a 4-3-8 record overall. The Trojans head into Thursday's match on a 3-game unbeaten streak, and picked up their first win of the OVC season on Sunday vs. Eastern Illinois. Little Rock currently stands in 7th place in the conference with seven total points on the year. The Trojans are led by Amaya Arias, who ranks third in the OVC in shots, and Karina De Paoli, who has tallied 4 goals on the year. 
Lindenwood currently stands with a 1-6 record in the OVC. The Lions grabbed a couple of wins vs. Murray State and Chicago State early on in the season, but have struggled to pick up points since then, managing a win vs. Little Rock to get their only three points of the conference season. The Lions stand in 10th place in the conference, as of October 18.

So far this season: Western Illinois has been able to get results in the OVC, with four draws in seven matches, but is still looking for their first conference win this weekend. Last week, the Leathernecks drew zero-all at home with Eastern Illinois, the third time that Western has pulled out that result. A match with SIUE on Sunday proved to be one to forget for the Leathernecks, as the Cougars jumped out to a 4-0 lead, but thankfully junior Sachiko Gamo softened the blow with a pair of goals to make the final 4-2. Western has proven to be a solid defensive team, ranking 4th in the conference in total goals allowed on the year.

Players to watch: Isabel Navas Rodriguez has had a stellar season in net for the Leathernecks, as she's picked up three total OVC Goalkeeper of the Week awards. Rodriguez ranks first in the conference in saves per game (5.46), second in save percentage (.816), tied for second in shutouts (5), and second in total saves (71). Sachiko Gamo, who netted two penalty goals in Sunday's match, now leads the team in goals (3), and points (7).

Making the tournament: The 2023 OVC Women's Soccer Championship will be held from October 27-November 5. The first two rounds will be hosted on campus sites (with the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds hosting) while the semifinals and championship will be on the campus of the No. 1 seed. As the top eight teams in the conference qualify for the tournament, the Leathernecks find themselves on the outside looking in, standing in ninth place with four points. The Leathernecks will need to pick up points this weekend in order to punch their ticket to the tournament and play on the 27th of October. 

For more information about the OVC Women's Soccer Championships, please visit https://ovcsports.com/tournaments/?id=30