After three weeks on the road, the East Central University soccer team will return home to Tiger Field for the next five Great American Conference matches.  The Tigers will first battle with Northwestern Oklahoma State, Thursday, Oct. 16 at 4 p.m. and then Southwestern Oklahoma State, Saturday, Oct. 18 at 1 p.m. to open the home stand.

Match Notes

The Coverage
Fans who can't be at the match 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 5-4-3 overall and 0-3-2 in the GAC after fighting to a 0-0 tie with Southwestern Oct. 12.  NWOSU is currently in the middle of a six-match road trip where they have gone 1-2-1.

The Rangers have a 19-16 lead in goals scored, but have taken 29 fewer (175-204) shots than their opponents.  NWOSU has also struggled a little in penalties, with 12 yellow cards being issued against them and seven against its opponents.

Leidiane Capobianco leads the team with six goals and 13 points (1 assist) and adds 18 shots on goal.  Alyssa Williams is the shots on goal leader with 20, while adding four goals and an assist.  Ellen Trotter is the only other player with multiple goals (3), while Jessica Lynch adds eight assists.

The Rangers have used three goalies this season, but Briana Legaspi has seen the majority of the action in 10 matches.  She has allowed 13 goals and stopped 72 shots for a 1.19 goals against average and a .847 saves percentage.

Against the Rangers
Earlier this season the Tigers and NWOSU battled through a 1-1 double-overtime tie in Alva (Sept. 22).  The match was the first league contest for either team this season.

Junior Krista Kahl scored the goal for ECU on her one shot on goal.  Senior Millan Galloway led the team with three shots on goal.  Junior Taylor Lowe allowed one goal and stopped six shots.

Leidiane Capobianco scored for the Rangers, with Ellen Trotter earning the assist.  Briana Legaspi allowed one goal and stopped seven shots.

The Series
The tie in September brought the all-time series to a 4-1-3 overall mark in favor of ECU, with a 3-0-2 record when playing as GAC members.  The Tigers are also 2-0-1 when playing at home.  The series has been a true battle with four of the games going to overtime and three of those happening on the road.  The last time the teams met in Ada was Sept. 27, 2013, with ECU claiming a 2-0 win.

Scouting Southwestern
The Bulldogs are 2-8-2 overall and 2-2-1 in the GAC and will face Southern Nazarene, Thursday, Oct. 16 before coming to Ada.

SWOSU has a 9-26 deficit to its opponents in goals scored and a 140-214 difference in shots taken.  The Bulldogs have scored five goals in the first and four in the second for an even match, but they have allowed eight goals in the first and 17 in the second this season.

Charlotte Eastman is one of three players with multiple goals for SWOSU, with three.  Olivia Butler and Cori Kelly each added two goals, with Butler garnering three assists and Kelly one.  Courtney Flores has seen all the time in the net for the Bulldogs, allowing 26 goals and stopping 69 shots for a .726 saves percentage.

Against the Bulldogs
In the first meeting with SWOSU this season, the Bulldogs claimed a 0-1 win on the road.  

Senior Katie Glutz led the Tigers with three shots on goal, while junior Taylor Lowe stopped four shots.

Olivia Butler scored for the Bulldogs and Courtney Flores earned the shutout with six saves.

The Series
In the longest series in school history, the Tigers currently hold a 10-8-2 advantage, including a 10-7-2 mark in GAC action.  ECU is also leading 5-2-2 when playing in Ada, with the last three matches in the series having been played in Weatherford.  The Tigers home match in 2013 against SWOSU was cancelled due to an officiating scheduling conflict, so the last match at Tiger Field was Oct. 21, 2012 when the teams tied 2-2.

Tiger Battle Postponed
ECU road match against Ouachita Baptist had to be postponed due to weather in Arkadelphia over the weekend.  The match will be played if necessary to determine conference standings for the GAC Championship and is tentatively planned for Nov. 3.

Holleman Double Trouble
Senior Kourtney Holleman added her name to the list of Tiger players that are a double threat in matches this season.  Holleman tallied both goals in the 2-1 overtime win at Southern Nazarene, including her first match-winning goal of the season.  It marked the third time this year that a Tiger player had scored twice in one match.

Double Standard
Senior Milan Galloway has set a high standard for herself, with a team leading four goals.  What makes the numbers more interesting is that she has scored in just two games, with two goals scored in each outing.

Lowe Goalkeeper of the Week
ECU junior Taylor Lowe picked up her first and the team's second GAC honor of the season, as she was named the GAC Goalkeeper of the Week for Sept. 23.

Lowe recorded 11 saves in posting a 1-1 record, with a 2.00 goals-against average, for the Tigers.  She tallied five saves against Northeastern State and came back with six in a 4-2 win against Lubbock Christian.  At 3-3-1, ECU posted its third-best start in school history.

Glutz Defender of the Week
Senior Margaret Glutz was named the GAC Defender of the Week for Sept. 16 after helping the Tigers to a 2-0-1 mark.

The Santee, Calif., native anchored a Tiger defense that allowed only four goals in three matches last week. Against Newman, she helped a defense that blocked a pair of shots and added an assist on the first goal. Against Oklahoma Baptist, she paced ECU to their first shutout win of the season, while the defense blocked a total of four shots.

Heavy Home Schedule Late
This season those wishing to see the Tigers in action at home against other members of the GAC will have to wait until late in the season.  This year all the home conference matches are in a block at the end of the season, starting Oct. 16 against Northwestern Oklahoma State.

Up Next
The Tigers remain at home for a slow week, with just one match next week.  However, it will be a big match for ECU as it is part of the Homecoming festivities, Friday, Oct. 24 and will be the annual Pink Out game.  Match time is set to start at 4 p.m. against Southern Nazarene.