The Lady Toppers shut out the UT Martin Skyhawks 1-0 on Saturday evening in the team’s first exhibition match of the preseason. The Hilltoppers remain undefeated against UT Martin with a 4-0 all-time overall record against the Ohio Valley Conference challenger.

The Lady Toppers displayed their dominance early as WKU sophomore Lily Rummo scored the unofficial first goal of the season at the 11:50 mark of the first half to elevate WKU to a 1-0 lead.

The Lady Toppers continued to show aggression, continuously assaulting the opposing net to collect a total of eight shots, five of which were shots on goal during the first half of play. 

The Lady Toppers additionally showed off their athleticism on defense, shutting down the Skyhawks offense and allowing only one shot on goal for the entirety of the first half of action.

The Skyhawks made the proper offensive adjustments during halftime and within the first 10 minutes of the second half fired off three shots with one of them being on target.

However, The Lady Toppers defensive efforts would prevail as they held the Skyhawks scoreless for the entirety of both periods, allowing five shots by the UTM offense while kicking a total of 15 shots with eight shots being on net.

The Lady Toppers are scheduled to host the Bellarmine Knights at home for the second and final preseason match of the season on Aug. 15. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. CT.

Soccer reporter Drew Toennies can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @drew_toennies.