JACKSONVILLE - With three games left in the regular season, the Jacksonville State soccer team finds itself in a position to possibly play for the Ohio Valley Conference championship.
The Gamecocks sport an 8-3-4 overall record with a 3-0-3 mark in the OVC. With teams receiving three points for a conference win and one point for a tie, JSU has accumulated 12 points on the year and currently sits in third place in the OVC standings.
Eastern Illinois is in second place with 14 points while first-place Samford has 15 points. No positions, however, have been locked down for the OVC tournament, which begins on November 6.
Eastern Illinois must still face fourth-place Southeast Missouri State on Friday, October 24. A win by SEMO would move Jax State into second place and set up a showdown against Samford on October 31 for the conference championship.
The winner of the OVC regular-season title will earn the right to host the final two rounds of the conference tournament. With six teams qualifying for the tourney, the top two seeds receive an automatic berth in the semi-final round.
The quarter-finals will be played on campus of the third- and fourth-seeded squads. The third-seeded team will host the sixth seed while the fourth-seeded team will host the fifth seed.
JSU head coach Lisa Howe said while a conference title is in reach, she wants her team to approach the final three games the same way it has the previous five games.
"We talked in practice about how we don't want things to change," said Howe. "We have been playing well recently so we just need to keep our every-day small goals in mind and good things will happen as a result."
JSU is currently riding a seven-game unbeaten streak that includes a 4-0-3 record. Six of those games were against OVC teams. Howe added that because of the team's recent success, the Gamecocks will keep the same mind set for the final three games.
"These last two conference games are as important as any conference game this year," Howe said. "They are no more important either. We just need to stay focused and not get distracted."
The Gamecocks clinched a playoff berth last Sunday with a 1-0 win over Austin Peay. A win over Morehead State next Sunday would set the team up for a possible home playoff game.
JSU will travel to Barbourville, Kent., for a non-conference game will Union College on Friday before closing out the regular season with road games against OVC members Morehead State on October 26 and Samford on October 31.
Heading into this weekend's matchups, JSU can be found atop several key categories in the OVC. The Gamecocks lead the league in shutouts with 10 on the season and are also in first place in corner kicks with 105 for the year. Jax State goalkeeper Amanda Stephens is also tied with Samford's Crystal Royall with seven shutouts during the season.
Another defensive statistic that highlights JSU is the goals allowed category. Jax State is in second place after giving up only 14 goals all season. Samford is in first place after yielding 10 goals.
