Live Video | Live Stats

JACKSONVILLE – Nearing the midpoint of the Ohio Valley Conference slate, the Jacksonville State soccer team will host Eastern Illinois in a pivotal league contest on Sunday at the JSU Soccer Field.
 
The Gamecocks enter its only contest of the weekend level in the OVC at 2-2 after posting a come-from-behind win last Sunday on the road at Eastern Kentucky.  The Panthers of EIU will begin the weekend trip on Friday against Tennessee tech before Sunday's 3 p.m. duel on the JSU campus.
 
Jax State (6-7-0, 2-2-0) begins the weekend with a league-best 35 goals on the season and is ten goals away from matching the school record of 45 set in 2002.  The total so far is the most since JSU netted 38 goals in 2009.  JSU also leads the OVC in goals per game (2.69) and assists (31).  The Gamecocks are allowing just 1.61 goals per match.  Redshirt junior Courtney Hurt ranks among the conference leaders in many categories.  The Huntsville, Ala.-native is listed second in the OVC in total goals with eight.  She ranks first in the OVC in goals per game and points per match.  Junior Kelsey Bright ranks among the top-five players in the OVC in goals with seven on the season.  The Kingwood, Texas-product has four assists on the season as well.
 
EIU (2-9-1, 1-3-0) holds an 8-3-1 lead in the series with the Red and White and have won four of the last five meetings.  The Panthers suffered a 1-0 loss to the Gamecocks last time they visited Jacksonville.  Last season, EIU notched a 1-0 result in Charleston, Illinois.
 
The Panthers fell to Belmont before defeating Austin Peay last week for its first conference win of the season.  Senior Meagan Radloff scored three of the Panthers four goals last week, including a pair versus the Lady Govs. She has shifted to the defensive backfield for league play after earning All-OVC honors as a midfielder in previous seasons. EIU ranks second in the OVC in saves with 78 stops on the season and an average of 6.50 per match.  Emily Hinton, the Panthers' goalkeeper leads the league in saves per game with a mark of 6.56.
 
The Gamecocks returns to action next weekend with a road match against Austin Peay on Friday, Oct. 17.  After the trip to Clarksville, Tennessee, JSU begins a three-match homestand beginning on Sunday, Oct. 19 against Belmont.