Hilltoppers Dominate in 4-1 Win Against Murray State

WKU Athletics Media Release

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU Soccer went into halftime tied with Murray State, 1-1, but a 3-goal second half gave the Hilltoppers the edge in the 4-1 exhibition victory at the WKU Soccer Complex on Wednesday evening.

HOW IT HAPPENED

WKU got on the scoreboard first with a goal from Danielle Lewin in the 10th minute. Kora Kipley found Lewin who fired the ball from just outside the box and sent it into the upper right corner out of the keeper’s reach. The Racers came right back, tying the game on a penalty kick in the 12th minute. Both teams failed to score the rest of the half, but WKU outpaced Murray State in shots, 10-2, in the half.

In the 48th minute, April McDonald sent one to the back of the net off a corner kick pass from Georgia Liapis to give WKU the lead. That goal would prove to be the game-winner. Sophia Lezizidis scored an insurance goal in the 68th minute and Rose Finnegan added another in the 72nd minute. Maggie Bellair assisted on Lezizidis’ goal and Kipley notched her second assist of the night on Finnegan’s goal.

QUOTABLE

“It’s building blocks,” said head coach Jason Neidell. “We’re excited about the way we started off. We haven’t had this kind of dominating performance in a preseason game in a long, long time. The girls were hungry to play. I thought in the first half we were a little frenzied in the first game out, but then we settled in in the second half and played some really good soccer.”

NOTABLES

• Three of WKU’s four goals were scored by newcomers (McDonald, Lezizidis and Finnegan).
• The Hilltoppers outshot Murray State, 19-3, in the match, including an 8-1 advantage in shots on goal.
• WKU had 15 corner kicks, while holding Murray State to none.
• Mia Riddick played all 90 minutes in goal for the Hilltoppers.
• A total of 22 WKU players saw action in the match.

NEXT UP

The Hilltoppers will host Samford on Friday, Aug. 7 at 2:00 PM at the WKU Soccer Complex to close out the preseason. All games at WKU Soccer Complex are free to attend.