WKU Soccer secured its second consecutive win with another impressive 4-goal performance, defeating Evansville 4-1 on Sunday night at the WKU Soccer Complex. After a scoreless first half, the match saw an explosive second half with five goals scored between the two teams.
How It Happened
Both teams went into halftime without scoring, but the second half delivered plenty of action. The scoring began in the 52nd minute when Kendall Wade broke the deadlock with a header off a well-placed serve from Georgia Liapis. Just three minutes later, Kayla Meyer added to the lead with a stunning long-range shot that found the upper left corner of the net.
Evansville managed to get on the scoreboard in the 68th minute, disrupting WKU’s clean sheet. However, WKU responded with freshman Abby Wiedermann scoring twice in the final 10 minutes of the match. Wiedermann’s first goal came from a one-touch shot just outside the box, assisted by fellow freshman Maggie Morris. Her second goal was a header in the last minute of play, following a serve into the box from Aspen Seaich.
Notables
- Kayla Meyer now leads the team with three goals this season, bringing her career total to 10, including four game-winners.
- Kendall Wade’s goal was the second of her career and her first as a Hilltopper.
- Abby Wiedermann joins Meyer as the only Hilltoppers with multiple goals this season.
- Six different WKU players have scored through the first three matches, with 10 players registering at least a point. Twelve of WKU’s 24 total points this season have come from underclassmen.
- WKU outshot Evansville 16-9, with goalkeeper Maddie Davis making six saves.
- The four goals marked WKU’s highest-scoring game against a Division I opponent since a 4-3 victory over FIU on March 4, 2021.
- This was the first time WKU scored four goals in a half since a 7-1 win over Alabama A&M on Sept. 15, 2019.
- WKU improved to 9-1-2 all-time against Evansville, including a 5-1-0 record at home in Bowling Green.
Quotable
“I think the first half, both teams were trying to feel each other out,” said head coach Jason Neidell. “I can’t remember the last time we scored four goals in a half. I thought we really stepped up our pressure on both sides of the ball in the second half. I thought we moved the ball pretty well because our spacing was much better in the second half than the first.”
Reflecting on her two-goal performance, freshman Abby Wiedermann said, “It was a dream to score two goals in my third collegiate game. I’m a center back, wing back is not my main position, but I came in here ready to play wing back. I definitely feel confident in playing that position now.”
Next Up
WKU Soccer will travel to Fayetteville to face No. 9 Arkansas on Sunday, September 1 at 1 p.m.
