Freshman Ashley Leonard scored her first collegiate goal in style on Sunday afternoon, tallying the golden goal in the first overtime period as WKU claimed a 1-0 victory over UT Martin in its 2017 home opener at the WKU Soccer Complex. Despite playing just four minutes on the afternoon, the Troy, Mich., native capitalized on a long shot from outside the box, turning to her right and firing a high-arcing lob that sneaked under the crossbar for the decisive goal. Leonard is the second true freshman to score for the Lady Toppers in the team’s first four matches this season, joining Tally Bishop who found the back of the net in the opener at Lipscomb.
With the victory, WKU moves to 14-3 all-time in home openers in program history and has won its first match at the WKU Soccer Complex in each of the last four seasons.
Sarah Gorham led all players with four shots on the afternoon and put three of her chances on target; the redshirt junior had an opportunity to put WKU in front on a penalty kick in the 64th minute, but her shot from the spot pinged off the left post and back into play, where the Skyhawks were able to clear away the threat.
WKU will be off the pitch for a week before returning to the confines of the WKU Soccer Complex for its next match on Sunday, Sept. 3, at 6 p.m. against Evansville. All of WKU’s home matches this season will feature free admission for all fans, and the Evansville match will double as Youth Soccer Day, encouraging younger players to come out and experience the atmosphere of a collegiate match.
(Courtesy WKU Athletics)