KEARNEY, Neb.  Western Colorado soccer heads to the Midwest to play a pair of not-so-familiar opponents, taking on host University of Nebraska Kearney on Friday before closing out the trip Sunday with a neutral site game against 20th-ranked Washburn (Kan.) University at UNK's Foster Field.

The pair are the final opponents on the schedule before the Mountaineers begin Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference action.

WESTERN COLORADO HEADING INTO THE WEEKEND | 2024 Stats

• The Mountaineers have opened the season at 1-3, the victory coming on Sept. 12 in a 1-0 win over Eastern New Mexico in Western's home opener.
• Cianna Thomas knocked home the game winner in that defeat of the Greyhounds, scoring late in the 86th minute to send Western to its win.
• Thomas also scored the Mountaineers' lone goal in the season-opening loss at Midwestern (Texas) State, her two goals leading the team in the early-season statistics.
• Sarah Connolly and Winter Woolley, with one goal apiece, have been the other goal scorers for Western.
• Aubree Orosco has accumulated the most time in goal for the Mountaineers, accruing 249 minutes and posting a 2.89 goals-against average while accumulating 21 saves.
• Friday's match at UNK will be the fourth against the Lopers since Western began play in 2012. The Mountaineers lost the first two games but earned a 1-0 neutral-site win in 2022.
• The only other time Washburn and Western have met was in the Mountaineers' first season, with Western picking up a 2-1 win in Topeka, Kansas.

NEBRASKA-KEARNEY HEADING INTO THE WEEKEND | 2024 Stats

• After posting a 3-13-2 record in 2023, the Lopers have already matched that win total in 2024, going 3-0-1 so far. The draw was a scoreless match against then-No. 23 Concordia (Minn.) St. Paul.
• UNK has outscored its other three opponents by a cumulative total of 8-1.
• The Lopers are outshooting opponents 61-26 overall, and 34-18 in shots on goal.
• Jordan Renard and Daniella Iaquinta have each scored two goals for UNK, with both of Renard's markers earning game-winning goal status.
• Susie Bovaird has been stellar between the pipes for UNK, starting all four games and surrendering just one goal over 338 minutes and making 16 saves.

No. 20 WASHBURN HEADING INTO THE WEEKEND | 2024 Stats

• Fresh off a national championship game appearance in 2023, the Ichabods opened the fall ranked No. 2 in the preseason poll. A pair of losses in the first week dropped them all the way out of the rankings, but a pair of shutout victories since has brought them back into the rankings at No. 20.
• In Washburn's five games leading up to the 2023 national championship game, it outscored opponents by a cumulative count of 8-3. In the championship game it allowed just one goal but were unable to score in falling 1-0 to Point Loma (Calif.).
• Four different players have scored one goal each for the Ichabods, with Riley Wells and Belle Kennedy picking up game-winners in the victories over Southwest Minnesota State and Wayne State (Neb.), respectively.
• Hailey Beck has played every minute in goal this season for Washburn, giving up two goals in each of the early losses but posting shutout minutes in the ensuing wins. She enters the weekend with a 1.00 goals-against average and a total of 9 saves.
• The Ichabods are scheduled to play Black Hills State (S.D.) on Friday before taking on the Mountaineers Sunday morning.

UP NEXT
Western begins RMAC play with its next games, starting with a home match Sunday, Sept. 29 against University of Colorado Colorado Springs at 1 p.m. at Katy O. Rady Field.