Rachel Essner
Staff Writer
The Murray State soccer team closed out the 2020-21 season after a loss in the OVC semifinals game against SEMO on Thursday, April 15. Prior to the tournament, Murray State was awarded a multitude of regular season awards, as well as the OVC Regular Season Championship. The Racers were awarded five honors among seven members, a tie for the most awards in program history with the 2008 and 2017 seasons.
Senior defender Izzy Heckman closed out her career with the Racers by earning two OVC honors. Heckman was named to the All-OVC First Team for the second time in her career and earned OVC Defender of the Year, the second player in program history to do so after Tara Isbell in 2008. Heckman tallied two assists in the season and defended the back line, keeping opponents to a total of only nine goals in the season and three shutouts.
Freshman forward Chloe Barnthouse ended her first season with the Racers earning All-OVC First Team and All-Newcomer Team recognition. Barnthouse finished the season with a team-high seven goals, with three of those coming from the game against Eastern Illinois to accomplish her first hat trick. Barnthouse earned 15 points for the Racers.
Sophomore midfielder Lauren Payne was named to the All-OVC Second Team. Payne scored two goals and tallied two assists during the 2020-21 season, earning six points for the Racers. Payne earned her second All-OVC honor after being named to the All-Newcomer Team as a freshman in 2019.
The second Racer to be named to the All-OVC Second Team was sophomore defender Saraya Young. Young contributed three points to the Racers after scoring one goal and tallying one assist. In addition to Payne, Young also earned her second All-OVC honor after starting out on the All-Newcomer Team as a freshman in 2019.
Freshman defender Audrey Henry joined Barnthouse on the All-Newcomer Team. Henry tallied one assist for Barnthouse’s game-winning goal against SIUE to add another point for the Racers’ season total.
The last player to earn a conference honor was sophomore goalkeeper Jenna Villacres, earning her first honor by joining the All-Newcomer Team. Villacres recorded 37 saves and three shutout games.
Lastly, Head Coach Matt Lodge became the third coach in program history to earn OVC Coach of the Year, following Beth Acreman in 2008 and Jeremy Groves in 2015 and 2017. Lodge led the Racers to a 9-2 overall record and an OVC Regular Season Championship title in the 2020-21 season.
Despite a successful season, the Racers fell to SEMO in the semifinal round of the OVC Tournament. Murray State will look to turn things around and get back to a normal season in the fall.
