Pirates Battle Tulsa On Senior Day

Game 9: Tulsa (1-5-0, 1-5-0) at East Carolina (2-4-2, 2-2-2)
Date	Saturday, April 3
Time	5:00 p.m. (EDT)
Location	Greenville, N.C. (Johnson Stadium)
Coverage	Live Stats \| Live Video
Social Media	Twitter: @ECUsoc Instagram: @ECUSoc Facebook: @ECUwsoccer

GREENVILLE, N.C. – Just two games remain in the regular season and the East Carolina soccer team will try to hold on to a playoff spot as the Pirates host Tulsa on Saturday evening.

"WE need to be prepared for another tough game this weekend," said head coach Jason Hamilton. "Tulsa's record does not reflect who they are as a team. They will be organized and come out working hard."

ECU (2-4-2, 2-2-2 AAC) saw a late goal give Cincinnati a 2-1 win the last time out. Carsen Parker continued her hot play for the Pirates, scoring from long-range to give her three goals in her past two games as she has moved from the center of the defense to a striker role. Parker leads the Pirates with a career-high nine points on four goals and an assist. Morgan Dewey and Madie Knaggs each have four points, with Dewey's coming on one goal and two assists while Knaggs has scored a pair of goals. Tori Riggs is the other Pirate with multiple points, having tallied a goal and an assist this year while Annabelle Abbott has one assist to her name.

"There is still a lot on the line for our group and they understand that," Hamilton said. "We've backed ourselves in a corner and to have any chance to make the conference tournament, we have to come out and get a result."

In the defense, although Parker moved up the field, Addison Salz has stepped in capably. Preseason All-Conference selection remains the rock in the center of that defense and has played 670 minutes this year, the most among outfield players. Right behind her is Dewey while Maycie McDougal has played 589 minutes at the other outside back role. Behind them has been Maeve English who has played every minute in the goal during her rookie campaign. English has 25 saves and a save percentage of .714.

It will also be Senior Day for the Pirates and four seniors will be honored. Cashlin Copley has been one of the top Pirate scorers in her career, racking up nine goals and five assists in her career. She scored the game-winning goal that clinched ECU's spot in the 2018 AAC Championship. Knaggs has been consistent for ECU, scoring two goals each of the past three seasons. Erin Mikalsen has been a utility player for ECU, playing anywhere from up front to the backline during her career. Mikalsen has one goal in her career, but it was a massive one as it helped ECU advance past SMU in the 2018 AAC Championship First Round. Mikala Rhody arrived in Greenville after helping Vanderbilt win the 2018 SEC Championship and has playing in six games in her ECU career, providing valuable depth up front.

"Senior day always brings a lot of energy and emotion to the team," Hamilton added. "We have to use that to our advantage and use it as momentum for the game."

Tulsa (1-5-0, 1-5-0 AAC) will be trying to snap a four-match losing streak, in which the Golden Hurricane has scored just one goal. The only win this season came when Tulsa came back from a 1-0 deficit and hold on for a 3-2 win over UCF. Since then though, the Golden Hurricane have lost four straight game by multiple goals and scored just one goal. As a team, Tulsa is last in the AAC in both goals scored per game (0.67) and goals allowed per game (2.67). Gabriella Borboa leads the team with a goal and an assist. Liliana Fernandez, Mia Darden and Emily Bradenburg have all added a goal as well. In the goal, Emma Malsy has played the majority of the minutes and has made 32 saves while allowing 16 goals.

The past two meetings between East Carolina and Tulsa have not been particularly close. In 2018, Tulsa took a 3-1 win while the Pirates earned a 3-0 win in 2019 in Greenville. In that 3-0 win, Tori Riggs and Grace Doran both scored, while Cashlin Copley had an assist on Doran's goal. That gave ECU a 4-1-1 home mark against the Golden Hurricane and an 8-5-1 overall ledger.

Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m., on Saturday in Johnson Stadium and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.

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Players Mentioned

Annabelle Abbott

Cashlin Copley

Morgan Dewey

Grace Doran

Maeve English

Madie Knaggs

Maycie McDougal

Erin Mikalsen

Carsen Parker

Mikala Rhody

Tori Riggs

Addison Salz

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