WKU faces MTSU, hopes to improve seeding

Senior forward Lindsey Goad practices at the WKU Soccer Complex Wednesday October 26, 2011 before there game against Middle Tennessee Friday. The Women’s Soccer Team are 11-6-1 this season.

Austin Lanter

With only one game left in the

regular season, WKU has already secured its spot in next week’s Sun

Belt Tournament. Now, the Lady Toppers look to improve upon their

projected fifth seed.

WKU will enter Friday night’s

showdown with Middle Tennessee State one spot below the Lady

Raiders in the Sun Belt Conference standings. If WKU wins, it will

take MTSU’s fourth seed for the tournament. If the team loses or

ties, they will more than likely still receive the fifth

spot.

Either way, it’s likely that WKU

will play MTSU in the first-round of the tournament next Wednesday

in Murfreesboro, Tenn. 

Last year MTSU beat the Lady Toppers

twice, including a shootout victory in the semifinals of last

year’s tournament. WKU is 2-4-5 lifetime against MTSU. This year,

the seniors want to go out with a big win over their rival on their

senior night.

“I have a lot of emotion from the

game from last year,” senior forward Lindsey Goad said. “Just the

feeling of revenge and not losing at home is really important to me

for our last conference game.”

The two teams will square off at 6

p.m. Friday at the WKU Soccer Complex. The Lady Toppers have never

been defeated by MTSU at home. Seniors Libby Stout, Lindsay

Williams, Lindsey Goad, Mallory Outerbridge, Kelsey Meyer, Kaylyn

Pratt and Amanda Buechel will be honored before the

game.

For senior and midfielder Kelsey

Meyer, the game Friday night is a way to get the team ready for the

tournament and, more than likely, MTSU again. 

“The Middle game is just really

important,” she said. “So just getting that first win will give us

confidence for the second game against them.”

Goad said the game on Friday will

help to set the tone for the tournament.

“It will show them

that we deserve to go farther than the first round of the

tournament and that we can beat them,” she said. “I think that will

give everyone a lot of confidence going into the next game, showing

them we can win and make it farther than we did last

year.” 

Head Coach Jason Neidell has been

stressing all year that the regular season is there to prepare the

team for postseason play. Now, with only one game left and a spot

secured in the tournament, he said the team just needs to get a few

things in order.

“I think the team chemistry is a lot

better (than past teams),” he said. “This team has been more

consistent in its work ethic day in and day out in both training

and in games. I think that if we finish the chances that we create

we can go from a good team to a great team.”