Courtesy of LA Tech Athletic Communications
Louisiana Tech (2-9-1, 1-1-0 CUSA) returns to the home pitch at The Mack to host the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (4-4-2, 1-0-1 CUSA) tonight at 7 p.m.
The contest can be seen on ESPN+ with Kyle Roberts and Wally Crittenden providing a call of the action.
The matchup marks the ninth time the two sides face off in program history and the sixth time playing on LA Tech’s home pitch. The Bulldogs currently lead the series with a record of 4-3-1 and are unbeaten when playing the Hilltoppers at home with four wins and a scoreless draw.
The Bulldogs fell to Sam Houston on the road, 1-0, their last time out, falling to a .500 record in CUSA play. Tech was seeking a scoreless outcome to earn a road point before a heartbreaker was scored by the Bearkats in the final minutes of the match.
LA Tech has earned a clean sheet the last three times playing WKU in Ruston, including a 1-0 victory in the 2023 CUSA Quarterfinals when the Bulldogs hosted the tournament at The Mack. The two sides ended in a 0-0 draw last season, combining for 27 total shots on the night.
Western Kentucky enters Thursday’s contest with a 4-4-2 record and are 1-0-1 at the start of CUSA play. The Hilltoppers are coming off a three-match homestand where they saw a 0-0 draw against Austin Peay before defeating Kennesaw State, 2-1, and tying Middle Tennessee, 1-1, to open the conference slate.
WKU is led by head coach Jason Neidell, who is in his 25th year at the helm of the program and is the only head coach in WKU women’s soccer history. Neidell has led the Hilltoppers to three conference titles, including a regular season championship in the Sun Belt in 2007 and 2013 and claiming the 2020 CUSA East Division title.
Neidell has seen 15 seasons with double-digit wins and 19 of his 24 previous teams ended the year with a winning record. The most wins in a season for the program was set during 2008 when WKU went 15-2-4 and fell to Denver in the Sun Belt Tournament championship game.
Georgia Liapis is the leading goal scorer for WKU, sitting in a tie for the fourth-most in the conference. Liapis also leads the team with 11 points, 24 shots with 11 on target. Makenna Egan and Camryn Davis trail with three goals each while Danielle Lewin rounds out the multi-goal scorers for the Hilltoppers with two.
Torrie Grant-Clavijo’s three assists leads the Hilltoppers and is tied for the fifth-most in CUSA. Egan also has a pair of dishes while six other players for WKU have recorded an assist.
