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Leathernecks Hit the Road, Take On St. Thomas & Drake

| By: WIU ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

Western Illinois will play away matches against St. Thomas and Drake this weekend.

Where | South Field - St. Paul, Minn. | Mediacom Stadium - Des Moines, Iowa
When | 
Friday, September 13, 4 PM at St. Thomas       Live Stats      Stream
Sunday, September 15, 1 PM at Drake          Live Stats       Stream 
(All times central)

About the Tommies:
St. Thomas is 3-3-1 in 2024, winning three of their last four matches. The Tommies swept a two-match road trip to New York, defeating Marist one-nil and Siena by scoring two goals to one. After losing a close match at Northern Iowa, the Tommies defeated Viterbo six-nothing to grab their third win of the season. St. Thomas has scored a goal in every game they have played in, so the Leatherneck defense will have their work cut out for them. Of their 14 goals scored in 2024, five have been scored by Lexi Huber, who ranks tied for 29th in the NCAA in goals scored. 

Battle with the Bulldogs:
Drake enters Sunday's match without a win but has not lost a contest by more than two goals in 2024. The 0-4-3 Bulldogs drew with three Leatherneck common opponents in Iowa State, St. Thomas, and South Dakota State, all matches ending with a one-all scoreline. Drake has dropped matches to Kansas, Butler, Omaha, and South Dakota in 2024. Six different Bulldogs have scored eight goals, so expect a balanced attack on Sunday. 

First Five Down:
Western Illinois enters Friday's afternoon matchup at 0-5, losing to Iowa State, Northern Iowa, South Dakota State, Green Bay, and Illinois State. On Sunday, the Leathernecks kept it close with the Redbirds, hanging around but eventually losing one-nil. The Leathernecks have dropped their first five matches by a combined score of 17-1. 

Key Returners:
Western Illinois returns 23 players from its 2023 squad. Isabel Navas Rodriguez, a fifth-year keeper from Madrid, Spain, comes back to the Leathernecks after being named OVC Goalkeeper of the Week on three occasions last season. Sydnee Sagal, a fifth-year midfielder from Oconomowoc, WI, returns after starting in all matches in 2023. Junior outside back Hana Daoudi returns to this year's squad after finishing third among all outfield players in minutes last season. Alanna Pennington is looking to build on her 2023 freshman campaign where she started all 16 matches and scored thrice, leading the squad. 

Player to Watch:
Senior attacker/midfielder Kayla Turner was named Western Illinois' representative as a Player to Watch. Turner, in her fourth season with the Leathernecks, started 16 games as a freshman, scoring once and assisting three goals in the 2021 campaign. Turner missed most of her sophomore season, only playing three games, but bounced back last season in a super-sub role. Turner scored the Leathernecks' first goal of the OVC conference season, helping lead Western Illinois to a 1-1 draw at UT Martin. Turner also got an assist in a 3-1 win over Green Bay in 2023 and finished fourth on the 2023 side in shot attempts with ten.  

Fresh Faces:
Despite the 23 returning players, seven newcomers to the 2024 squad will look to make an impact. Coach Josee Primeau bolstered an offense that struggled to put the ball in the net in 2023, adding three junior transfer forwards to the squad. A native of Crocker, MO, Callie McMurtrey joins the team after a pair of seasons at Jefferson College. From Cody, WY, Autumn Wilson scored 16 goals in 16 games as a sophomore and will look to provide a scoring punch for the Leathernecks. Rounding out the group of transfers is Landry McCoid, who dominated ICCAC competition with Iowa Central CC in 2023. McCoid scored 35 goals in 17 games last season before joining the Leathernecks. Four freshmen also join this year's team, goalkeeper Ariel Bernard, outside back Hilary Halpin, defensive midfielder Aofie Boulter, and midfielder Ava Bell.

FOLLOW THE LEATHERNECKS
For all the latest information on Leatherneck Women's Soccer, please visit GoLeathernecks.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Leathernecks on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.

 
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