Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Middle Tennessee
North Texas
MT Soccer Set For Final Week of Regular Season
10/23/2018 12:33:00 PM | Women's Soccer
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - With one week remaining in the regular season, Middle Tennessee has all but secured a spot in the Conference USA tournament. The Raiders gear up for one final home game vs. North Texas on Wednesday and end the regular season with a road battle at UAB on Saturday.
If the Blue Raiders win or tie either of the next two games, they'll make the postseason. If they win both and other teams lose or tie, MT could finish as high as third in the conference standings. It's an important weekend for the Blue Raiders as NT and UAB are currently near the top of the conference standings.
Match Information
Matchup: North Texas (12-1-2)(7-0-1) @ Middle Tennessee (9-5-1)(4-3-1)
Location: Dean A. Hayes Track and Soccer Stadium (Murfreesboro, Tenn.)
Time: October 24, 2018, 6:00 p.m.
Scouting the Mean Green
North Texas have been one of Conference USA's best teams this season with a near perfect 7-0-1 conference record. They've accomplished this behind an attack that is tied for the conference lead in goals with 33. Who's the other team with 33 goals? The Blue Raiders. This game should have plenty of scoring and will challenge both defenses. The main threats for North Texas are Taylor Torres, Aaliyah Nolan, and Berklee Peters who have scored 20 of the team's 33 goals this season.
Series history
North Texas holds a 15-5-2 lead over the Blue Raiders in the all-time series. They've won the last seven in a row and have knocked the Blue Raiders out of the Conference USA tournament in their last two most recent appearances.
Match Information
Matchup: Middle Tennessee (9-5-1)(4-3-1) @ UAB (9-6-1)(6-3-0)
Location: BBVA Compass Field (Birmingham, Ala.)
Time: October 27, 2018, 7:00 p.m.
Scouting the Blazers
Having won two in a row and six of their last eight, the Blazers have worked their way into the C-USA title discussion. While their losses to the top two teams will likely keep them out of the top tournament seed, they have played exceptional in recent games. Kamilah Mustafa has scored half of UAB's goals this season and is the unquestioned scoring threat. In goal, Kelsey Daugherty has posted six clean sheets on the season and was recently named C-USA Goalkeeper of the Week.
Series history
The Blue Raiders lead the series 5-1-0, but the Blazer's got their first victory in last year's match in Birmingham.
Players to watch
Peyton DePriest – A member of the C-USA Second Team All-Conference a year ago, this season she has made quite a case to find herself on the team once again. DePriest is second in the conference in goals despite playing in just nine games. Her 2.22 points per game also lead the conference.
Hannah Tillett – The Blue Raiders' leader in nearly every offensive category remains atop the conference in goals and points while ranking fourth in assists. Her addition to the Blue Raider offense will be key down the stretch.
Celeste Barnard – The senior keeper will look to make her 13th start of the season this weekend and has picked up four shutouts and allowed only 13 goals in 13 appearances. Her 49 saves rank her among the top 10 in the conference.
5 – Five wins is the program's high through five seasons in C-USA. MT will have the chance to tie and possibly break that total with two games this week.
10 – Similarly, MT's best overall win total as a member of Conference USA is 10, a number they can tie or improve on this week.
13 – MT holds 13 points headed into the final week of conference play, a total that has them tied for seventh. Depending on the conference results, they could end up anywhere from third to eighth in the conference standings.
Live Streaming
Both games will be streamed CUSA.TV.
Social Media
Follow the Blue Raiders all season long
Twitter: @MT_Soccer
Facebook: Middle Tennessee Blue Raider Women's Soccer - MTSU
Instagram: @MT_WSoccer
