WKU Soccer suffered a 1-0 loss in its season debut to the Xavier Musketeers Thursday afternoon at Corcoran Field in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The Lady Toppers had trouble keeping the Musketeers off their side of the field Thursday afternoon. The Musketeers out-shot WKU 13-4 and were awarded six corner kicks to WKU’s one. The Lady Toppers received 10 fouls versus Xavier only committing 2. WKU senior goalie Alexis Bach had a busy afternoon facing a magnitude of shots from an aggressive Xavier team. 

The Lady Toppers got off to a slow start. WKU started the game with two fouls in the first ten minutes. The Lady Toppers did not take a shot until the 19th minute, which was delivered by senior Sydeny Ernst. The Lady Toppers survived three corner kicks from the Musketeers early in the contest.

WKU Senior Kate Irwin took a shot on goal in the 20th minute that was blocked by the Musketeers.  Irwin was aggressive the entire game; she shot the ball twice, but never found the goal. 

Xavier’s Simone Rivard-Roberts scored the only goal of the game in the 44th minute.

WKU senior Carmen Marin took the first shot of the second half that was saved by Xavier goalie Maria Galley in the 66th minute. The Lady Toppers had a tough time getting open looks in the second half. WKU only managed two shots versus Xavier’s five. Both teams received yellow cards in the second half.

Xavier controlled the ball in the game’s later stages, preventing WKU from getting anything going. Kate Irwin had a chance to tie the game in the 88th minute, taking a shot inside the box. Galley made an amazing save to seal the win against WKU. 

The Lady Toppers look to bounce back in their home opener against Union University on Saturday, Aug 20. at 7 p.m. CT at the WKU Soccer Complex.