Women’s Soccer closes regular season at Northern Kentucky

Wednesday, October 26

Highland Heights, KY

7 PM

Wright State University

Northern Kentucky

Women’s Soccer closes regular season at Northern Kentucky

10/25/2022 10:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer

DAYTON — The Wright State women's soccer program closes its regular season on Wednesday, October 26, against Northern Kentucky. The conference game will commence at 7 p.m. and stream on ESPN+ in Highland Heights. Ky.

MATCH INFORMATION
Wednesday, October 26 - 7 p.m. - Watch - Live Stats

LAST TIME OUT
The Raiders suffered a 3-1 loss against Oakland on Senior Day, which snapped a five-game unbeaten streak at Alumni Field. Elise Canter led WSU in the loss with her fourth goal of the year, while Olivia Mace and Ashley Vaughn notched an assist apiece. Lauren Borchert and Olga Massombo contributed to the attack with four combined shots. Goalkeeper Jessika Seward finished with three saves compared to two goals allowed over 62 minutes. Kiera Sarka replaced Seward in the second half, allowing one goal over 28 minutes.

HL STANDINGS
Wright State is in a three-way tie for third place in the Horizon League standings with one game left in the regular season. Milwaukee sits atop the conference with 20 points, while Purdue Fort Wayne is close behind with 18 points. WSU, Oakland, and IUPUI possess 15 points apiece. The top-six teams will earn a spot in the Horizon League Championship, which begins with the third and fourth seeds hosting quarterfinal matchups on October 30. The No. 1 seed will host the HL semifinals and championship from November 3-5. Click here to view the full standings.

SCOUTING THE NORSE
Northern Kentucky is 2-10-2 on the season and ninth in the HL standings with a 2-6-1 record. The Norse have strung off shutout wins against IUPUI and Green Bay in conference play. Emilie Doersching and Lydia Self lead the team with four points on two goals apiece. Goalkeeper Mickayla Kowalski has allowed just nine goals over 11 games, including nine starts.

HISTORY VS. NKU
The Raiders trail in the all-time series against NKU, 1-7-1. Wright State ended its 2021 campaign with a 2-1 loss against NKU at home. Erin Baker made the start in goal, matching a career-high in saves with six. WSU earned its first-ever victory over the Norse during the 2019 season with a 3-1 win.

OFFENSE IN RHYTHM
On the year, WSU holds top-three conference marks in scoring offense (2nd, 1.62), shot accuracy (2nd, .505), points per game (2nd, 4.75), assists per game (2nd, 1.50), total assists (2nd, 24), shots on goal per game (3rd, 6.56), corner kicks per game (3rd, 5.06), total goals (3rd, 26), and total points (3rd, 76).

HISTORY MADE
Wright State has broken a single-season school record by netting at least one goal in 11 consecutive games. The Raiders have averaged 1.82 goals per game in the span, which includes six multi-goal performances. Marcella Sizer has paced the WSU attack individually with 14 points on six goals and two assists during the streak.

FIRST YEAR MAGIC
Marcella Sizer has shined in her first season with the Raiders, as she leads the team in goals (6) and points (15) on just 25 shots. The Youngstown State transfer has tallied a League-high five goals in conference-only action, including four goals over her last five games to go along with two assists. Sizer recorded a season-high two goals at IUPUI, leading to Horizon League Offensive Player of the Week honors.

PRECISION AT ITS FINEST
As a team, the Raiders rank 47th in the country and second in the Horizon League in shot accuracy (.505). Lauren Borchert has compiled a team-leading 24 shots on frame, while Marcella Sizer is 14-for-25 (.560) in shot-on-goal attempts.

PACING THE ATTACK
Lauren Borchert ranks second in the HL in shots on goal (24), shots on goal per game (1.50), total shots (45), and shots per game (2.81) while also ranking eighth in goals with four. The junior midfielder has tallied multiple shots in 15 matches, including a season-high four shots on five occasions. She has netted a goal in three out of Wright State's six home games, occurring against Central Michigan, Milwaukee, and Green Bay.

MEETING EXPECTATIONS
Olivia Mace has tallied a team-leading six assists over 16 matches, good for second in the conference. The Centerville, Ohio native entered the 2022 season with lofty expectations after earning Horizon League All-Freshman Team honors last year. Mace has logged a program-leading 2,810 minutes over 34 games (30 starts) dating back to the 2021 campaign.

SHOWING OFF DEPTH
Eleven Raiders have appeared in all 16 games, including four newcomers. Kaylee Pham, a freshman out of nearby Springboro, has logged a team-best 1,421 minutes over 16 starts. Four individuals in Pham, Olga Massombo, Jessika Seward, and Lauren Borchert, have started every game.

DEFENSE SHOWING UP
Wright State has totaled three shutout wins through 16 matches, its most in a season since 2019. The Raiders last notched four-plus shutout victories during the 2017 campaign with nine.

CAREER LEADERS (at Wright State only)
Goals
Josie Krupp - 11
Lauren Borchert - 7
Marcella Sizer, Michelle Rings, & Olga Massombo - 6

Assists
Josie Krupp & Olga Massombo - 8
Michelle Rings & Olga Massombo - 7
Olivia Mace - 6

Points
Josie Krupp - 30
Olga Massombo - 20
Michelle Rings - 19

Saves
Jessika Seward - 164
Erin Baker - 27
Kiera Sarka - 6

Games
Josie Krupp - 78
Michelle Rings - 60
Kaylin Helinski - 56

Starts
Olga Massombo - 41
Kaylin Helinski - 40
Michelle Rings - 38

RETURNING TALENT
Wright State returns 10 players who logged nine or more starts and 700-plus minutes, including a pair of All-Horizon League performers in Olga Massombo and Olivia Mace. The trio of Madison Keller, Taylor Lauck, and Josie Krupp are in the midst of their fifth year with the Raiders.

Massombo, Krupp, Maddie Mitchell, and Michelle Rings found the back of the net multiple times a season ago, while Lauren Borchert tied for second on the team with two assists. Mace was the lone Raiders to appear and start in all 18 matches, totaling a team-leading 1,578 minutes. Jessika Seward is in her third season as WSU's goalkeeper, where she has tallied 164 saves and four shutouts in 37 career starts.

MEET THE COACHES
The Raiders are led by second-year head coach Travis Sobers, a longtime assistant coach at WSU before taking reigns on the sidelines last summer. The former Wright State men's soccer standout player helped the Raiders to victories over Marshall, Akron, IUPUI, Cleveland State, and UIC in 2021. Assistant coach Abbey Frail joined the Raiders in January 2022 after two seasons on the staff at her alma mater Wingate University. Last fall, as interim head coach, she guided the Bulldogs to an 11-6 overall record.

WELCOME TO THE FAM
WSU welcomes 10 first-year students and two transfers to this season's squad. Marcella Sizer joined the Raiders after three seasons at fellow Horizon League school Youngstown State, where she totaled 23 points on 10 goals — two game-winners — and three assists over three seasons.

OHIO STRONG
Wright State's 2022 roster features 20 players from Ohio. Three Raiders in Elise Canter, Ashley Vaughn, and Heidi Orloff came to WSU from nearby Beavercreek High School. Another three individuals in Annika Samborski, Brandi Greenlee, and Olivia Mace prepped at Centerville High School.

PRESEASON POLL
The Raiders were picked sixth in the annual Horizon League preseason poll, which the league's 11 head coaches voted on. Oakland topped the conference poll while defending HL tournament champion Milwaukee was close behind in the second.

UP NEXT
The Raiders will learn their seeding in the Horizon League Championship following Wednesday's game against Northern Kentucky. The tournament quarterfinals will begin on Sunday, October 24, at the site of the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds.