Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Sunday, October 2
Murfreesboro, TN
5:00 PM
Middle Tennessee
vs
Western Kentucky
Photo by: MT Athletic Communications
Middle Tennessee Ready for Rivalry Matchup Against WKU
10/1/2022 3:00:00 PM | Women's Soccer
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – After nine days off, the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders return to action at 5 p.m. on Sunday when they take on their rivals, the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at the Dean A. Hayes Track & Soccer Stadium.
Western Kentucky at MTSU
Oct. 2 | 5 p.m. | Dean A. Hayes Track and Soccer Stadium
ESPN+
Live Stats
Goalkeeper Hannah Suder logged a season-high seven saves in the Blue Raiders' most recent match on Sept. 22 against North Texas. However, Middle Tennessee was unable to score in its Conference USA home opener, falling 3-0.
Around the Pitch: Returning five starters and 19 overall letterwinners, while bringing in 13 newcomers, Rhoden's 21st season as head coach features a balance of experience and fresh faces.
Suder enters her senior season in the top 10 of several program goalkeeper charts. A native of Jacksonville, Fla., Suder is:
Anchoring the Blue Raider defense in front of Suder is a group of experienced Blue Raiders.
Starting in all 53 games of her career and playing in over 4,800 career minutes, Caroline Manley is a mainstay in the starting XI in 2022. Manley earned both USC All-South Region and C-USA All-Tournament Team honors last season for her superb play.
Sascha Nielsen represented MTSU on the 2021 C-USA All-Freshman Team after starting all 19 contests and playing in 1703 minutes in 2021. Nielsen and fellow defender Alex Goffi each scored a goal.
Nielsen has played 500 minutes this season while Goffi logged 24 minutes vs. North Florida.
As far as offense goes, Kirstine Lykke returns after making an impression during her debut season. The midfielder/forward from Denmark found goal five times last season and recorded two assists. Lykke has two goals this season on nine shots on goal in 306 minutes of action.
Other front-line returnees include senior Cambell Kivisto, who has four career goals under her belt in three seasons.
First Blood: Middle Tennessee was 5-0-1 when scoring first during the regular season last year. Over the past three seasons, the Blue Raiders are 18-4-2 in matches when striking first.
Fresh Guidance: Middle Tennessee added two new coaches during the offseason in Zak Davis and Hannah Hoefs.
Davis joins the Blue Raiders after serving as the assistant women's soccer coach at George Washington University for the past four seasons. Over his four seasons with the Colonials, Davis helped lead GW to a 33-27-9 overall record and a 20-14-4 mark in A-10 play.
Before arriving in Murfreesboro, Hoefs coached at Shenandoah University for a year and a half during two different stints with the Hornets. Hoefs began her collegiate coaching career when she first joined the coaching staff at Shenandoah in June 2020 following her standout career as a midfielder at Loyola University of Maryland.
Opponent Breakdown
Western Kentucky
Nickname: Hilltoppers
Head Coach: Jason Neidell
2022 Record: 5-4-2 (1-2-0 C-USA)
2021 Record: 10-5-1 (5-2-1 C-USA)
Starters Returning/Lost from 2021: 8/3
MTSU's All-Time Record vs WKU: 6-9-6 (Last: L, 1-2; Sept. 19, 2021)
Western Kentucky at MTSU
Oct. 2 | 5 p.m. | Dean A. Hayes Track and Soccer Stadium
ESPN+
Live Stats
Goalkeeper Hannah Suder logged a season-high seven saves in the Blue Raiders' most recent match on Sept. 22 against North Texas. However, Middle Tennessee was unable to score in its Conference USA home opener, falling 3-0.
Around the Pitch: Returning five starters and 19 overall letterwinners, while bringing in 13 newcomers, Rhoden's 21st season as head coach features a balance of experience and fresh faces.
Suder enters her senior season in the top 10 of several program goalkeeper charts. A native of Jacksonville, Fla., Suder is:
- Seventh in shutouts (8)
- Seventh in games played (42)
- Sixth in minutes played (3395:32)
- Seventh in games started (36)
- Eighth in career saves (139)
Anchoring the Blue Raider defense in front of Suder is a group of experienced Blue Raiders.
Starting in all 53 games of her career and playing in over 4,800 career minutes, Caroline Manley is a mainstay in the starting XI in 2022. Manley earned both USC All-South Region and C-USA All-Tournament Team honors last season for her superb play.
Sascha Nielsen represented MTSU on the 2021 C-USA All-Freshman Team after starting all 19 contests and playing in 1703 minutes in 2021. Nielsen and fellow defender Alex Goffi each scored a goal.
Nielsen has played 500 minutes this season while Goffi logged 24 minutes vs. North Florida.
As far as offense goes, Kirstine Lykke returns after making an impression during her debut season. The midfielder/forward from Denmark found goal five times last season and recorded two assists. Lykke has two goals this season on nine shots on goal in 306 minutes of action.
Other front-line returnees include senior Cambell Kivisto, who has four career goals under her belt in three seasons.
First Blood: Middle Tennessee was 5-0-1 when scoring first during the regular season last year. Over the past three seasons, the Blue Raiders are 18-4-2 in matches when striking first.
Fresh Guidance: Middle Tennessee added two new coaches during the offseason in Zak Davis and Hannah Hoefs.
Davis joins the Blue Raiders after serving as the assistant women's soccer coach at George Washington University for the past four seasons. Over his four seasons with the Colonials, Davis helped lead GW to a 33-27-9 overall record and a 20-14-4 mark in A-10 play.
Before arriving in Murfreesboro, Hoefs coached at Shenandoah University for a year and a half during two different stints with the Hornets. Hoefs began her collegiate coaching career when she first joined the coaching staff at Shenandoah in June 2020 following her standout career as a midfielder at Loyola University of Maryland.
Opponent Breakdown
Western Kentucky
Nickname: Hilltoppers
Head Coach: Jason Neidell
2022 Record: 5-4-2 (1-2-0 C-USA)
2021 Record: 10-5-1 (5-2-1 C-USA)
Starters Returning/Lost from 2021: 8/3
MTSU's All-Time Record vs WKU: 6-9-6 (Last: L, 1-2; Sept. 19, 2021)
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Soccer
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/ Women's Soccer
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/ Women's Soccer
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/ Women's Soccer
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/ Women's Soccer
GK
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