LEBANON, Ill. - McKendree University women's soccer will close out its non-conference schedule on the road at Kentucky Wesleyan College on September 8 in Owensboro, Kentucky. The Bearcats are coming off of their first victory of the season on September 5 after they played to a draw in the opening match during a neutral site battle.

McKendree remains in the USC top-25 poll following its 1-0-1 opening weekend of play, coming in at No. 22. The Bearcats extended their unbeaten streak to six matches, dating back to last season, with their overtime win over Missouri S&T on Sunday as well as the double-overtime draw against Ashland on September 2. The win over Missouri S&T featured an overtime penalty kick following a red card on the Miners, the PK was taken by senior midfielder Emma Knoebel, who fired the shot opposite of the diving Miner goalkeeper to capture the win for McKendree.

In the final non-conference bout, McKendree is set to take on the Panthers of Kentucky Wesleyan who sit at 2-0-0 on the season, beating Southwest Baptist and Georgetown (Ky.). The Panthers returned their top two goal-scorers from the 2020-21 season in Chloe Hinchcliffe and Madisyn Hunt, both recorded three goals and two assists in the spring. Hinchcliffe (3 goals, 1 assist) and Hunt (1 goal, 1 assist) currently lead the Panther offense. 

The Bearcats enter the match 1-0-1 and ranked 22nd in the nation with four individuals scoring so far. The offense of the Bearcats was ignited during the outing with the Miners, scoring twice in the first half and holding a 2-0 advantage until the 53rd minute. McKendree held a possession advantage throughout its last match and held the ball in its attacking half constantly in the outing. Five individuals have recorded a point for the Bearcats, the senior Knoebel leads the way with three over two matches behind one goal (game winning PK vs. Missouri S&T) and one assist. Junior defender Morgan Bova, junior midfielder Allison Frederking, and sophomore midfielder Anna Stiffler have all added a goal (2 points each) to the team totals this year while freshman forward Gillian Nicholson dished out one assist (1 point). 

McKendree owns a four-match winning streak over the Panthers, including a 3-2 victory the last time the two clashed in 2019 at Leemon Field. True road matches have been beneficial for the Bearcats as of late, last season (2020-21) McKendree went 5-1-1 while going 5-2-1 on the road in 2019. 

The match will be the final outing for the Bearcats before entering into GLVC play on Sunday, September 12 in Evansville at Strassweg Field. 

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