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Rachael Keating

Western Prepares for Pair of In-State Matchups

| By: WIU ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

The Leathernecks Will Take On #18 SIUE (Tue. Sept. 12 @ 7 PM) and Eastern Illinois (Sat Sept. 16 @ 1 PM) this weekend.

Who | Western Illinois (0-4-1) at SIUE (3-0-1) / vs. Eastern Illinois (1-2-1)
When | Tuesday, Sept. 12 - 7 P.M. CT / Saturday, Sept. 16 – 1 P.M. CT 
Where | Edwardsville, Ill. | Ralph Korte Stadium / John MacKenzie Alumni Field | Macomb, IL 
Social Media | Instagram + Twitter + Facebook 

Previous matchup: The Leathernecks hold a 9-13-3 record against SIUE, a matchup that goes back all the way to 1972. SIUE has won the last three matchups by a score of 1-0. Western's last win in Edwardsville was a 1-0 effort back in 2010.
Eastern and Western have a historic rivalry that sees the Panthers hold an 35-19-7 against the Leathernecks. Last year's matchup with EIU ended in a 1-1 draw, 

Scouting the opponents: SIUE has started off the year undefeated, with a 3-0-1 record. They won matches at Central Arkansas, vs. Butler, and beat Saint Louis at CITYPARK. On Friday, they drew at Kansas City to drop their first points of the season. The Cougars' hot start has them ranked 18th in the Coaches' poll as of Sep. 4. SIUE has 5 players with multiple goal contributions so far in 2023. 
Eastern has started the season 1-2-1, with all matches so far being played at home. They opened the season with a win against NAIA Governors State, drew with IUPUI, and lost to Bradley and Bellarmine. Senior Forward Sam Eccles leads the way with a goal and an assist. 

So far this season: The Leathernecks have had some unfortunate luck to start the season, as they opened 2023 with three consecutive 0-1 losses. These all came away, against Northern Illinois, Green Bay, and most recently Drake. This Tuesday, they broke the losing streak with a 0-0 draw with Lindenwood before losing 0-4 to Bradley on Friday. Western is still looking to get their first goal of the season this week. 

Players to watch: WIU's Kyle Owen and Caleb Ragland were named Summit League Players to Watch for the 2023 season. Owen is a 5th-year student from Oklahoma City, and scored 4 times in the 3 exhibition matches. Ragland is also a 5th-year student, from Wichita, Kansas. Ragland has started 39 games in the last 3 years for the Leathernecks.

What's next: The Leathernecks will start Summit League play next Saturday in a match at home vs. Oral Roberts on Saturday, Sept. 23, at 1 PM. Western will also play Northern Kentucky and IUPUI in the middle of the conference season. 
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