DAYTON — The Wright State women's soccer program will look to continue its conference unbeaten streak against Cleveland State on Saturday, October 1, at Alumni Field. The home meeting will begin at 7 p.m., and live stats will be available. Admission will be free for all spectators.
WSU will welcome back several former Raiders in honor of Alumni Night, who will be recognized before the start of the game. A pregame gathering for Raider alums will start at 5 p.m. at the field's parking lot.
MATCH INFORMATION
Saturday, October 1 - 7 p.m. -
Live Stats
NUMBER 1
The Raiders sit atop the Horizon League standings with 10 points, three points ahead of Purdue Fort Wayne and Milwaukee in a tie for second place. Wright State is one of only two teams unbeaten in conference play with a 3-0-1 record, its best four-game start since 2016.
LAST TIME OUT
WSU is coming off a 2-2 tie at IUPUI last Sunday, snapping its three-game winning streak over conference opponents.
Marcella Sizer led Wright State in the draw with an equalizer in both halves, the second multi-goal game in her collegiate career. Her penalty kick goal in the 86th minute proved to be the difference-maker in the tie.
Amber Branum tallied an assist on Sizer's first goal, while
Lauren Borchert had a team-leading four shots, including two on frame. Goalkeeper
Jessika Seward finished with five saves over 90 minutes, allowing two goals in the opening half.
Olivia Mace, Kaylee, and
Kaylin Helinski joined Seward in playing the entirety of the match.
SCOUTING THE VIKINGS
Cleveland State is 5-4-2 overall and 2-2 in Horizon League action. The Vikings are fresh off a 1-0 win over Northern Kentucky and have defeated Detroit Mercy since HL play began. In non-conference play, CSU boasts victories over Saint Joseph's, St. Francis (Pa.), and Niagara.
CSU averages 1.64 goals per game, paced by Maddie Young with team-leading marks in points (T-1st, 9), goals (T-1st, 4), and game-winning goals (3). Goalkeeper Liv Fain has allowed just 1.15 goals per game with two shutouts over eight starts.
HISTORY VS. CSU
Wright State leads the all-time series, 13-6-1. The Raiders earned a 2-1 victory at CSU last year, as
Olga Massombo and
Maddie Mitchell recorded goals in the winning effort.
Jessika Seward finished with a career-high 11 saves against the Vikings during the 2020 covid season.
OFFENSE IN RHYTHM
WSU holds top-three conference marks in several offensive categories, including shot accuracy (1st, .570), penalty kicks (2nd, .667), scoring offense (3rd, 1.73), points per game (3rd, 4.73), shots on goal per game (3rd, 6.27), assists per game (3rd, 1.27), total points (3rd, 52), total goals (3rd, 19), and total assists (3rd, 14).
HOME SUCCESS
The Raiders are off to a 3-0 start at Alumni Field for the first time since the 2011 season. WSU has outscored opponents 10-3 in the span, with three-plus goals in each game.
FIRST YEAR MAGIC
Marcella Sizer has shined in her first season with the Raiders, as she leads the team in goals (4) and points (9) on just 11 shots. The Youngstown State transfer has tallied a League-high three goals in conference-only action, highlighted by two goals at IUPUI. The multi-goal performance led to Horizon League Offensive Player of the Week honors for the senior.
PRECISION AT ITS FINEST
As a team, the Raiders rank 10th in the country and first in the Horizon League in shot accuracy (.570).
Lauren Borchert has compiled a team-leading 17 shots on frame, while
Marcella Sizer is 8-for-11 (.727) in shot-on-goal attempts.
PACING THE ATTACK
Lauren Borchert sits second in the HL in shot accuracy (.586) and shots on goal (17) while also ranking fifth in total shots (29) and seventh in goals (3). The junior midfielder has tallied multiple shots in nine matches, including a season-high four shots in WSU's 1-0 win at Miami (OH). She has netted a goal in each home game, occurring against Central Michigan, Milwaukee, and Green Bay.
MEETING EXPECTATIONS
Olivia Mace has tallied a team-leading three assists over ten matches, good for fourth 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 2,360 minutes over 29 games (25 starts) dating back to the 2021 campaign.
BREAKOUT YEAR
Kaylin Helinski has enjoyed a breakout senior season for the Raiders, as she is tied for third on the team in points (5) and goals (2). The Bellville, Ohio native entered the year with three career goals and no assists over 42 games (26 starts).
DEFENSE SHOWING UP
Wright State has totaled three shutout wins through 11 matches, its most in a season since 2019. The Raiders last notched four-plus shutout victories during the 2017 campaign with nine.
BRICK WALL
Jessika Seward earned Horizon League Defensive Player of the Week for the first time in her collegiate career on August 29 after leading WSU to back-to-back shutouts. In Wright State's 1-0 victory at Miami (OH), she notched five saves, including four in the second half to preserve the shutout. The Navarre, Fla. native, added three saves, all in the first half, in the Raiders' 3-0 win against Central Michigan at home. On the season, Seward ranks fifth in the HL in shutouts (3), saves (42), and saves per game (3.82).
SHOWING OFF DEPTH
Fifteen Raiders have appeared in all 11 games, including four newcomers.
Kaylee Pham, a freshman out of nearby Springboro, has logged a team-best 981 minutes over 11 starts. Five individuals in Pham,
Kaylin Helinski,
Olga Massombo,
Jessika Seward, and
Lauren Borchert, have started every game.
CAREER LEADERS (at Wright State only)
Goals
Josie Krupp - 11
Michelle Rings,
Olga Massombo, &
Lauren Borchert - 6
Kaylin Helinski - 5
Assists
Josie Krupp - 7
Michelle Rings &
Olga Massombo - 6
Olivia Mace &
Lauren Borchert - 3
Points
Josie Krupp - 29
Michelle Rings &
Olga Massombo - 18
Lauren Borchert - 15
Saves
Jessika Seward - 145
Erin Baker - 27
Kiera Sarka - 6
Games
Josie Krupp - 73
Michelle Rings - 55
Kaylin Helinski - 53
Starts
Michelle Rings &
Kaylin Helinski - 37
Olga Massombo - 36
Lauren Borchert &
Jessika Seward - 32
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 145 saves and three shutouts in 32 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 face a road matchup at Detroit Mercy on Thursday, October 6, followed by a home meeting against Purdue Fort Wayne on Sunday, October 9.
