Gameday: Pirates Close Conference Road Trip At Tulsa Sunday

Match 12: East Carolina at Tulsa
Date	Sunday, October 9
Time	2 p.m. (EDT)
Location	Tulsa, Okla.
Coverage	Live Stats \\\ Watch Live
Social Media	Twitter: @ECUScoreboard \\\ @ECUwsoccer Instagram: @ECUwsoccer Facebook: @ECUwsoccer

GREENVILLE, N.C. - The East Carolina women's soccer team will close its first American Athletic Conference road trip of the season when it plays at Tulsa on Sunday, Oct. 9. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. (EDT).

ALL-TIME VERSUS TULSA
East Carolina (4-7, 0-2 AAC) will meet the Golden Hurricane for the 11th time overall and owns a 6-3-1 lead in the all-time series. ECU suffered a 2-1 overtime loss at home in last season's meeting, but earned a 1-0 road victory in its last trip to Tulsa during the 2014 campaign.

SCOUTING THE GOLDEN HURRICANE
Tulsa (6-6-1, 2-1 AAC) enters Sunday's contest winners of two-straight, including a 2-0 home win over Cincinnati on Thursday night. The Golden Hurricane is led by striker Rachel Thun's 22 points on eight goals and six assists, while Tana Dake has nine points on two scores and a club-best five assists this season.

THE LONGEST HIATUS
The Pirates went 12 days (Sept. 18-Sept. 30) between home games against UNC Greensboro and Cincinnati, which is the longest span of time between games in the program's 22-year history, topping the 11-day gap during the 2008 season.

1. 12 days (Sept. 18-Sept. 30, 2016)
2. 11 days (August 27-Sept. 7, 2008)
3. 10 days (Oct. 3-13, 2002)
4. Nine days (August 21-30, 2009)

JEFFERS EARNS CONFERENCE ROOKIE-OF-THE-WEEK NOD
Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Caroline Jeffers was named American Athletic Conference Rookie-of-the-Week on Sept. 19 following a four-save, shutout performance against UNC Greensboro one day prior. The Windermere, Fla., native became the third player to earn the league's rookie-of-the-week honor since ECU began competing in the AAC, joining Brittany Fary (Sept. 8, 2014) and Courtney Cash (Sept. 14, 2015).

SPITLER STRIKES TWICE, TWICE
Senior striker Lana Spitler has scored two goals in the same contest on two occasions thus far in 2016. She accomplished the feat in a career-high five-point effort against Charlotte (9/11), as well as in a 4-0 rout of Western Carolina (8/28). She now has four-career multi-goal efforts as she also scored twice at UNC Greensboro (9/6/15) and at home against Temple (9/28/14).

CASHING IN REGULARLY
Sophomore striker Courtney Cash has registered at least two points in five of the last nine games with a goal at 18th-ranked Virginia Tech (Aug. 26), a two-assist performance at Western Carolina (Aug. 28), a career-high three-points against James Madison (Sept. 2) and a goal at Old Dominion (Sept. 4). Despite not making the final stat sheet against NC State (Sept. 8), the Cary, N.C., native bounced back with a goal at home against Charlotte (Sept. 11).

STRIKE FIRST & FAST
East Carolina has scored first in six of its 11 matches so far this season and owns a 4-2 record under that circumstance. Not only are the Pirates often first to light up the scoreboard, but they have scored inside the first 11 minutes of a match five times:

• Sixth Minute at Virginia Tech (Aug. 26)
• Ninth Minute at Western Carolina (Aug. 28)
• Second Minute vs. James Madison (Sept. 2)
• 11th Minute vs. James Madison (Sept. 2)
• 11th Minute vs. Charlotte (Sept. 11)

RARITY OF THE PK GOAL
Spitler scored the first goal in ECU's 3-2 home win over Charlotte on Sept. 11 on a penalty kick in the 11th minute, marking the first time the Pirates converted one since Danielle Romano (2010-13) on Oct. 31, 2013 to seal a 2-1 victory against Middle Tennessee.

SPITLER CLIMBING ALL-TIME SCORING LIST
Spitler's two goals against Charlotte on Sept. 11 were her fifth and six of the season and the 20th and 21st of her collegiate career, moving her into a tie for fifth place with Kendall Frey (2012-15) on ECU's all-time goals list.

FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING
Sophomore Madeleine Watson and freshman Megan Conte scored their first-collegiate goals in the Pirates' 4-0 road win at Western Carolina on Aug. 28, while sophomore forward Courtney Cash notched two assists - the first and second helpers of her career. Jeffers had to make just one save to preserve her first shutout.

200 PROGRAM WINS
East Carolina women's soccer earned the 200th win in program history in a 4-0 victory at Western Carolina on Aug. 28. Since the inception of the program in 1994, the Pirates have averaged greater than nine victories per season. The winningest coach in program history, Rob Donnenwirth has now led the Pirates to 170 of their 202 victories.

SPITLER NAMED PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE
Senior striker Lana Spitler was one of 12 players selected to the American Athletic Conference's 2016 Preseason Women's Soccer All-Conference Team. Spitler is ECU's top returning scorer after posting 16 points en route to earning all-conference second team honors in 2015. Her six goals tied for the team lead, while her four assists and two game-winning goals were good for second most on the club.

CAPTAINS HOOK
East Carolina's captains in 2016 are senior defenders Autumn Berry and Caitlin Hite, Lana Spitler and junior midfielder Danielle Eule.

Gameday: Pirates Close Conference Road Trip At Tulsa Sunday

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Players Mentioned

Autumn Berry

Courtney Cash

Megan Conte

Danielle Eule

Brittany Fary

Kendall Frey

Caitlin Hite

Caroline Jeffers

Lana Spitler

Madeleine Watson

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