Women's Soccer Hosts Belmont on Thursday for Pink Out Game

Thursday, October 5

Carbondale, IL

6 PM

Southern Illinois University

Belmont

Photo by: Sam Bischel

10/04/2023 | 1:40:00 | Women's Soccer

Live Stats

By: Dominic Hoscher, SIUSalukis.com

CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Southern Illinois University women's soccer team (1-7-4) will begin a three-game homestand on Thursday at 6 p.m. against Belmont in the 'Pink Out' game.

Details
Who: Belmont University (1-6-6)
Time: 6 p.m.
Date: Thursday, Oct. 5, 2023
Where: Lew Hartzog Track & Field Complex - Carbondale, Ill.
What: Pink Out Game
Live Stats: Here

Quick Hits

After a trip to Normal, Ill., on Sunday, the Salukis return home with a 1-7-4 overall record and are 0-4-1 in Missouri Valley Conference play.
Southern Illinois' upcoming three-game homestand is the longest stretch of matches SIU will play at home this season. In Carbondale, SIU is 1-2-2 on the year.
Before falling at Illinois State, 1-0, on Sunday, the Salukis posted a 1-1 draw against Evansville last Thursday. Graduate student Emma Spotak scored her first goal of the year in the match.
Spotak's seven career goals trail only Liz Brechtel's 10 for the all-time program lead. The Palatine, Ill., native also has three assists in her Saluki career.
McKensey Bunch leads SIU in goals (four), shots (16), and shots-on-goal (eight) this season. Bunch now has five career goals with Southern Illinois.
Kaitlin DuCharme has two goals and one assist on the year, adding to her career tallies of six goals and three assists. DuCharme is third all-time behind Brechtel and Spotak in the all-time scoring chart for SIU.
Goalkeeper Chantelle Symes has made 10 starts for the Salukis, posting 40 saves and allowing 14 goals in those 10 games. Symes had seven saves on Sunday at Illinois State, the second most she has had in a match this season (Aug. 31 at SIUE, nine).
Freshman Veronica Gonzalez's 1065 minutes played are the most on the team, followed by fellow freshman Molly Tapak's 1044.

Head Coach Graeme Orr

Graeme Orr is in his first season as head coach of the women's soccer program. Assistant coaches Carley Kandel and Ash Phillips are also in their first year with the Salukis, while Jake Edwards returns for his second season as a graduate assistant on the coaching staff.
Orr comes to SIU after spending the previous 12 seasons as the head coach at Division II West Alabama. He was announced as the Salukis' head coach on May 30, 2023.
The Eaglesham, Scotland native, was the first head coach in West Alabama women's soccer history, starting the program in 2011. During his 12 years with the program, Orr posted an overall record of 115-78-19 and conference record of 79-44-9.
UWA recorded 10-consecutive and had 11-straight postseason appearances under Orr.
Orr was previously an assistant coach at North Alabama before arriving at West Alabama.

Looking at Belmont

The Bruins bring a 1-6-6 overall record and 0-1-4 MVC record into Carbondale for Thursday's match.
Belmont has posted a 1-1 draw in each of its last two matches against Illinois State and Evansville. In the 1-1 draw at Evansville, Maci Pekmezian scored the lone goal for the Bruins off of a penalty kick.
The visitors are looking for their first win since Aug. 17, when they defeated North Alabama, 1-0.
On the road, the Bruins are 0-5-3 so far this season.
Pekmezian is the team's leading scorer with four goals on the year.
Avery Nowak's three assists are the most on the Belmont roster.
Goalkeeper Sarah Doyle has been the only goalkeeper to appear in a game this season for the Bruins, making 13 starts. Doyle has posted 80 saves and has allowed 18 goals in 2023.
Kelsey Cameron is Belmont's head coach and is in her first season in the role.

Series History

The Salukis are 2-0 all-time against Belmont. Last season, SIU defeated the Bruins, 2-0, in Nashville. DuCharme scored Southern's second goal after alumna Christy Murauskis scored the opener.
SIU also took down the Bruins in 2019 in Carbondale in the first-ever meeting between the two programs, when the Salukis won 1-0.