DAYTON — The Wright State women's soccer program faces a road matchup against Purdue Fort Wayne on Sunday, October 15, at the Hefner Soccer Complex. The conference game will start at 1 p.m. and broadcast live on ESPN+.
MATCH INFORMATION
Sunday, October 15 - 1 p.m. -
Watch -
Live Stats
LAST TIME OUT
Kaylin Helinski's second-half goal in the 47th minute lifted the Raiders to a 1-0 victory over Detroit Mercy on Thursday. Goalkeeper
Kiera Sarka finished with eight saves en route to her fifth shutout performance of the 2023 campaign.
Olivia Mace added her team-leading fourth assist of the year in the winning effort.
SCOUTING THE 'DONS
Purdue Fort Wayne is 5-6-5 overall and tied for sixth in the Horizon League standings with a 2-3-3 record against conference opponents. The Mastodons have gone 0-3-2 over their last five matches, but earned shutout victories over Robert Morris and Cleveland State in September.
Morgan Reitano has paced the PFW attack with a team-leading 14 points on six goals and two assists. Rylee Vruggink has tallied a four-best four assists in addition to two goals. Goalkeeper Samantha Castaneda is tied for first in the HL with six shutouts over 16 appearances.
HISTORY VS. PFW
Wright State holds a 9-1-2 edge in the all-time series. The Raiders battled PFW to a 1-1 draw last season, highlighted by
Katie McGuinness netting an equalizer in the 89th minute for her first collegiate goal.
CONFERENCE STANDINGS
Milwaukee sits atop the Horizon League standings with 19 points, followed by Wright State and Robert Morris tied in second with 13 points apiece. IUPUI and Oakland are close behind in fourth with 12 points, while Northern Kentucky (9), Detroit Mercy (9), Purdue Fort Wayne (9), and Youngstown State (8) have also positioned themselves into postseason contention with just three matches to go in the regular season. 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 29. The No. 1 seed will host the HL semifinals and championship from November 2-4.
Click here to view the full standings.
VETERAN LEADER
Fifth-year senior
Kaylin Helinski leads the Raiders with seven points on three goals and one assist. She has scored all seven points in HL play, tallying goals against Youngstown State (9/21), Robert Morris (9/24), and Detroit Mercy (10/12) while adding an assist at Green Bay (9/14).
SHE'S CLUTCH
Lauren Borchert is tied for third in the Horizon League with two game-winning goals. The Richfield, Ohio native scored her first goal of the 2023 campaign versus Southern Indiana (8/24) and added a game-winner at Green Bay (9/14).
BREAKOUT PERFORMANCE
Sophia Kuerze enjoyed a breakout performance in Wright State's 2-1 victory over Akron (9/10), as she was responsible for both of the Raiders' goals. The freshman opened the scoring with her first collegiate goal at the 25-minute mark and followed with a game-winning assist in the 73rd minute. Her three points were the most by a Raider this season.
REPRESENTING KANKAKEE
Macey Moore and
Elise Kukuck — both natives of Kankakee, Illinois and 2023 alums of Herscher High School — scored their first collegiate goals in the opening half of Wright State's 3-2 win over Youngstown State (9/21).
ALL-CONFERENCE TALENT
Wright State returns four All-Horizon League selections from last season.
Marcella Sizer became the second individual in program history to earn League Offensive Player of the Year after leading the team in points (15) and goals (6).
Lauren Borchert topped the conference in shots on goal per game (1.67) and shots on goal (30) en route to All-League Second Team honors.
Elise Canter (4 goals) and
Kaylee Pham (18 starts, 1,601 minutes) garnered All-Freshman Team accolades.
MEET THE COACHES
The Raiders are led by third-year head coach
Travis Sobers, a longtime assistant coach at WSU before taking reigns on the sidelines two summers ago. The former Wright State men's soccer standout player guided the Raiders to an 8-7-3 overall record and a 5-2-3 mark in conference play last year, good for the program's first winning seasons in both categories since 2019. First-year assistant coach
Krystle Seidel joined the staff in May 2023 after a four-year head coaching stint at Macalester College and nine seasons at the University of Minnesota.
PRESEASON POLL
The Raiders were picked seventh in the annual Horizon League preseason poll, which the league's 11 head coaches voted on. Defending conference champion Milwaukee topped the poll, while Oakland was close behind in second.
2023 SQUAD
WSU welcomes ten newcomers — all freshmen — to this season's squad. The Raiders' 29-player roster includes nine returning sophomores, four juniors, four seniors, and two fifth-year student-athletes.
OHIO STRONG
Wright State's 2023 roster features 20 players from Ohio. Four Raiders —
Addy Canter,
Elise Canter,
Ashley Vaughn, and
Heidi Orloff — came to WSU from nearby Beavercreek High School. Another three individuals —
Annika Samborski,
Brandi Greenlee, and
Olivia Mace — prepped at Centerville High School.
CAREER LEADERS (at Wright State only)
Goals
Kaylin Helinski - 9
Lauren Borchert - 9
Marcella Sizer - 8
Assists
Olivia Mace - 10
Lauren Borchert - 4
Marcella Sizer - 3
Points
Lauren Borchert - 22
Kaylin Helinski - 20
Marcella Sizer - 19
Saves
Kiera Sarka - 84
Erin Baker - 41
Games
Kaylin Helinski - 71
Lauren Borchert - 59
Olivia Mace - 50
Starts
Kaylin Helinski - 55
Lauren Borchert - 53
Olivia Mace - 46
UP NEXT
The Raiders face Cleveland State for their regular season road finale on Saturday, October 21, at 7 p.m.
