LEBANON, Ill. - McKendree University women's soccer remains at home to host a pair of games on September 24 and 26, with Quincy visiting on Friday and Illinois Springfield on Sunday. The Bearcats will push to regain footing in the league following a tough, 3-2 loss against UIndy on September 19 at Leemon Field.

McKendree (3-1-2, 1-1-1) first plays host to Quincy, who will enter the match with a 3-2-0 (2-1-0) on the season. The Hawks opened their Great Lakes Valley Conference season with a win over Missouri S&T before dropping match two to Lindenwood and recovering against Maryville. Illinois Springfield goes into the weekend with a record of 4-1-1 (2-1-0) prior to playing USI on September 24 and then coming to Leemon Field on September 26. UIS dropped its latest match against Lindenwood but opened the league season beating Maryville and UMSL.

Senior midfielder Emma Knoebel has led the Bearcat offense with seven points in the young season so far. Knoebel scored three goals with two being game-winners, versus Missouri S&T and at Kentucky Wesleyan, while she dished out one assist over six games. The senior also earned GLVC Offensive Player of the Week honors on 9/13/2021 after a two-goal week where the Bearcats beat USI and KWC. Following Knoebel have been sophomore midfielders Katie Spotanski and Reagan Mauch, who both have four points this year behind two goals each. Spotanski scored her first career goal against USI and her second against UIndy. Mauch nabbed the insurance goal versus KWC then fired one past UIndy for her second. The net has been guarded by goalkeepers Mercedes King and Abby Tucker this year, with Tucker replacing King following an injury. Tucker started the last four outings and owns a 1.13 goals allowed average. 

Quincy:
The Hawks have been led by senior Lauren Crane offensively with nine points behind four goals, including a two-goal outing against Maryville. Aliyah Rottger and Jessica Felix sit just behind Crane with seven and five points on the season. Quincy holds a 3-2 record and has found early success in conference play, beating Missouri S&T 5-3 and Maryville 4-3. The Hawks own the all-time record over the Bearcats with a 6-5-2 mark but lost the latest meeting against McKendree, 1-0 (4/23/21). The net has been kept by two individuals for the Hawks, Kindt (2-2) has recorded 242 minutes with a goals allowed average of 1.12 while Weinhaendler (1-0) has 228 minutes and a 2.37 goals allowed average. 

Illinois Springfield:
The Prairie Stars owned an unbeaten streak of five prior to dropping their latest match to Lindenwood. UIS beat Maryville and UMSL to open its GLVC season. Sierra Cenek leads the attack for the Stars, totaling eight points in six games behind four goals on 13 shots. She is followed by Allison Hackett, five points on two goals and one assist, and Madison Grandys, four points on two goals. The Stars have relied upon one goalie for their first six matches in Allison Mirimanian, who has a goals allowed average of 0.80 and 28 saves through 563 minutes of action. McKendree owns the all-time series between the two with a 10-1 advantage and a six-match winning streak. 

NOTES:
McKendree will push for a new unbeaten streak beginning with Quincy after it dropped the match on 9/19 to the Greyhounds. The Bearcats held an eight-match unbeaten streak prior to that point

The Bearcats head for seven-straight victories over the Prairie Stars on Sunday, a streak that dates back to 2015.

Senior midfielder Emma Knoebel (Maryville, Illinois) won GLVC Offensive Player of the Week on 9/13/2021 after she posted two decisive goals in victories over Kentucky Wesleyan and Southern Indiana.

Sophomore midfielder Katie Spotanski (St. Peters, Missouri) scored her first collegiate goal against Southern Indiana (9/12/2021), which earned game-winner status. Spotanski added her second career goal in the match against UIndy.

The Bearcats have seven individuals who have recorded at least one point on the season while six of the seven have scored so far this season.

WEEKEND MATCHUPS:
Friday, September 24 | 5 P.M. | vs. Quincy | Lebanon, Ill. - Leemon Field
Sunday, September 26 | 12 P.M. | vs. UIS | Lebanon, Ill. - Leemon Field
_______________________________________________________
For more updates and information, please continue to visit McKBearcats.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

#BearcatsUnleashed