Women’s Soccer faces road test at defending conference champion Milwaukee

Sunday, October 8

Milwaukee, WI / Engelmann Stadium

2 PM ET

Wright State University

Milwaukee

Photo by: Joseph Craven

Women’s Soccer faces road test at defending conference champion Milwaukee

10/6/2023 5:14:00 PM | Women's Soccer

DAYTON — The Wright State women's soccer program will face a tough road test against defending conference champion Milwaukee on Sunday, October 8, at Engelmann Stadium. The Horizon League contest will kickoff at 2 p.m. ET and broadcast live on ESPN+. Live stats will also be available.

MATCH INFORMATION
Thursday, October 8 - 2 p.m. ET - Watch - Live Stats

LAST TIME OUT
The Raiders are coming off a second consecutive shutout as they battled IUPUI to a scoreless draw on Thursday night at Alumni Field. Goalkeeper Kiera Sarka finished with five saves en route to her fourth shutout performance of the 2023 campaign. Wright State's back line limited the Jaguars to single-digit shots (9) for the first time in conference play and just the third time overall this season. WSU's attack edged IUPUI with 13 overall shots and six strikes on goal. Kaylin Helinski led the way with a match-leading five shots, while Lauren Borchert tallied two shots on frame. WSU added two corner kicks in the second half.

SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
Milwaukee is 8-2-2 on the season and a perfect 5-0 in Horizon League play. The Panthers have outscored conference opponents 15-2, tallying three shutouts and multiple goals in every contest. MKE's non-conference schedule featured a 2-2 draw at No. 3 Notre Dame and a 1-0 victory over Minnesota.

The Panthers top the HL in several categories, including scoring offense (2.50), assists per game (2.33), shots per game (15.50), and goal differential (16). Kayla Rollins leads the conference with 22 points and 11 goals, while Kat Van Booven has added 13 points on four goals and five assists. Goalkeeper Kendall Edwards has posted four shutouts through 12 starts.

HISTORY VS. MILWAUKEE
The Raiders trail Milwaukee 10-29-6 in the all-time series. Wright State upset the Panthers 3-2 in its 2022 HL opener, highlighted by goals from current Raiders Ashley Vaughn and Lauren Borchert. Olivia Mace contributed to the attack with an assist. WSU last defeated MKE on the road in 2015, capturing a 4-3 penalty-kick victory over the No. 1 seed Panthers in the Horizon League Tournament semifinals.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK… AGAIN
Kiera Sarka earned Horizon League Defensive Player of the Week (10/2) for the second time in the last three weeks after posting a seven-save shutout in Wright State's 1-0 victory over Oakland (9/30). The senior has tallied four shutouts through 12 appearances (11 starts) this season and possesses top-60 national marks in total saves (39th, 60) and saves per game (52nd, 5.00). She recorded a career-high 14 saves versus Dayton (9/3), tied for 12-most by a Division I goalkeeper in 2023 and the highest mark by a Raider since Maddie Jewell's 14 saves against Milwaukee (11/2/17) during the 2017 campaign.

CONFERENCE STANDINGS
Milwaukee sits atop the Horizon League standings with 15 points entering Sunday's matchup. Wright State and Robert Morris are tied for second place with 10 points, while IUPUI is close behind in fourth with nine points. Purdue Fort Wayne (8), Youngstown State (7), Detroit Mercy (6), Northern Kentucky (6), and Oakland (6) have also positioned themselves into postseason contention. 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 is tied for first on the team with five points on two goals and one assist this season. She totaled her five points in three consecutive games, scoring goals against Youngstown State (9/21) and Robert Morris (9/24) and adding an assist at Green Bay (9/14).

SHE'S CLUTCH
Lauren Borchert is tied for second in the Horizon League and 84th nationally 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).

HEATING UP
Wright State has scored nine goals in its last six games after being held to just two goals in its first six games of the 2023 campaign. Eight different Raiders — Lauren Borchert, Caitlin Burger, Addy Canter, Kaylin Helinski, Elise Kukuck, Sophia Kuerze, Macey Moore, and Marcella Sizer — have found the back of the net in the span. The Raiders have gone 4-1-1 over the six games, tallying 72 shots, including 32 on goal.

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

Lauren Borchert - 9
Marcella Sizer - 8
Kaylin Helinski - 8

Assists

Olivia Mace - 9
Lauren Borchert - 4
Marcella Sizer - 3

Points

Lauren Borchert - 22
Kaylin Helinski - 18
Marcella Sizer - 17

Saves

Kiera Sarka - 66
Erin Baker - 41

Games

Kaylin Helinski - 69
Lauren Borchert - 57
Heidi Orloff - 47

Starts

Kaylin Helinski - 53
Lauren Borchert - 51
Olivia Mace - 43

UP NEXT
The Raiders continue their Horizon League slate on Thursday, October 12, against Detroit Mercy at Alumni Field. The home contest will kickoff at 7 p.m.