The East Central University soccer team will play its first Great American Conference matches of the season this weekend when it start a three-match home stand.  The Lady Tigers will first battle with Northwestern Oklahoma State, Friday, Sept. 27 at 4 p.m.  ECU will then host Southwestern Oklahoma State, Sunday, Sept. 29 at 2 p.m. at Lady Tiger Field.

Match Notes

The Coverage
Fans who can't be at the game can find links to live stats and live video (if available) on ECUTigers.com.  Go to the soccer schedule page.

Scouting Northwestern
The Rangers are 1-7 overall after losing their last three matches, all without scoring a goal.  The latest loss was 0-3 at Lubbock Christian (Sept. 24).

NWOSU has tallied just four goals on the season and allowed 29, while being out-shot 62-229.  Three of its four goals have come in the second period, where they have attempted 50 of their 62 shots.

Emily Whitty leads the team with three goals, while Kaitlyn O'Toole has tallied the other.  The Rangers have used three goalies, with Caitlin Thorpe playing in five matches.  Thorpe has allowed 15 goals and garnered 38 saves.

Against the Rangers
In the two matches between ECU and NWOSU in 2012, the Lady Tigers earned a win on the road and the teams tied at Lady Tiger Field.

Senior Ashley Bradford led the team with a goal and three shots on goal, while junior Taylor Graves added five shots on net.

The top returners for the Rangers are Cathy Wabenga and Caitlin Thorpe.  Wabenga garnered a goal, while Thopre tallied 19 saves and a .905 saves percentage.

The Series
The first match in the all-time series was Sept. 13, 2007, when ECU earned a 2-1 overtime win.  The teams have meet on six previous occasions, with the Lady Tigers holding a 3-1-2 advantages, including a 2-0-1 mark at home.

Scouting Southwestern
The Bulldogs are 3-2-1 overall and will start their GAC action Friday as well when they travel to Southern Nazarene.

SWOSU has a slight 11-9 advantage in goals, but an 84-48 lead in shots over its opponents this season.  The Bulldogs have allowed more goals in the second half of action (3-6).

Samantha Nunez leads the team with three goals, while Alexis Russell has five points (2 goals, 1 assist).

SWOSU has seen three goalies between the pipes, with Courtney Flores seeing most of the action.  Flores has played in four matches, allowed two goals and garnered 13 saves.

Against the Bulldogs
Last year ECU suffered a road loss, but then spoiled SWOSU's perfect season with a tie at Lady Tiger Field.

Senior Ashley Bradford scored the Lady Tigers returner's lone goal and added four shots on goal in the series.

Cori Kelly and Charlotte Eastman and the top returners for the Bulldogs.  Kelly earned a goal and an assist, while Eastman tallied two goals.

The Series
The all-time series with SWOSU is one of the longest, dating back to 1998.  The Lady Tigers currently own a 10-5-2 lead in the series, including a 5-2-1 mark when playing in Ada.

Ranking in the Nation
The NCAA has released their latest set of national soccer statistics and ECU is currently ranked tied for 31st in saves per match (7).  The Lady Tigers are the top team in the conference in the category and freshman Lexi Hurley is No. 75 in the nation in total saves (28) and No. 67 in saves per game (3).

Lady Tigers Picked Fourth
After finishing third in the Great American Conference standings in 2012, the ECU soccer team has been picked to finish fourth in the 2013 GAC Preseason Poll, as voted on by the league's head coaches.

The Lady Tigers earned 13 points, with 2012 champion Southwestern earning first (25 points/five first-place votes), Southern Nazarene second (19 points), Ouachita Baptist third (17 points/1 first-place vote), Harding fifth (11 points) and Northwestern sixth (five points).

Returning Depth
In 2012 ECU struggled with key injuries, especially after losing both goalies for a large portion of the season.  However, the Lady Tigers will return six of 11 starters, including three All-GAC picks from a year ago.

Ashley Bradford will return for her senior season after earning All-GAC First Team and NSCAA All-Region Third Team honors as a junior.  Juniors Margaret Glutz and Katie Glutz are also all-conference selections from 2012, with Margaret earning first team honors and Katie claiming second team accolades.

Also returning from the starting line-up are senior Stephanie Flores and junior Jessica Stibbens.  Other key returners include Susana, Galvez, Taylor Graves, Katelyn Harper, Kourtney Holleman, Krista Kahl, Taylor Kennedy, Laiken Knight and Hunter Malcom.

Heavy Home Schedule Early
This season those wishing to see the Lady Tigers in action at home will have to come to Lady Tiger Field early, as the season is lopsided on home and away matches.  ECU will play all of its eight home matches by Oct. 13, with the first home contest scheduled for Sept. 10 against Northeastern State at 4 p.m.  The Lady Tigers will play their final home matches Oct. 11 (Harding) and Oct. 13 (Ouachita Baptist) before finishing the season with six straight road matches.

Up Next
The Lady Tigers will finish their three match home stand, Thursday, Oct. 3 when they host Southern Nazarene at 4 p.m.