THOMASVILLE, Ga. - Thomas travels to Mobile (Ala.) to take part in the second annual The Sun Conference/Southern States Challenge Sept. 14-16. The Night Hawks face No. 7 William Carey (Miss.) at The Jungle on Thursday at 6 p.m. ET.
The match will be televised online through Stretch Internet on a pay-per-view basis for $5. Live updates will also be available on Thomas' official women's soccer Twitter account (@NightHawksWSocc).
The Sun Conference/Southern States Challenge
Game 5/Thomas (3-0-1) vs. #7 William Carey (4-0)
Thursday, Sept. 14 • 6 p.m. ET
Mobile, Ala. • The Jungle
TV: Stretch Internet
Twitter Updates: @NightHawksWSocc
ABOUT THOMAS
Thomas is coming off a 6-0 win over NCAA Division II foe Albany State (Ga.) on Sept. 9 at TU Soccer Complex. Four Thomas players found the back of the net.
Olivia Taylor totaled two goals and an assist for Thomas. She opened the scoring in the 32nd minute after dribbling around Albany State netminder Abby Whiteside. Rebekah Wiltshire made the score 2-0 in the 37th minute when she went top shelf from 25 yards out. Taylor beat Whiteside again from eight yards away in the 38th minute to give the Green and White a 3-0 upper hand at intermission.
A Wiltshire shot 26 seconds into the second stanza deflected off a Lady Golden Ram defender and into the back of the goal for a 4-0 Thomas lead. A Whitley Anderson putback from nine yards out of her own shot tickled the twine in the 50th minute. An Anna Gray header off a Taylor free kick in the 58th minute landed in the bottom left corner of the net for the final tally.
Taylor ended with three shots on goal, while Wiltshire tallied two.
Goalkeepers Kara Houston and Sierra Robinson combined for their second clean sheet in a row. Houston tallied two saves in 72:30, while Robinson was not forced to make a save in the final 17:30.
The Night Hawks outshot Albany State, 26-7, including 12-2 in shots on goal.
ABOUT WILLIAM CAREY
The Crusaders are coming off a 1-0 victory Sept. 8 over then-No. 8 Vanguard (Calif.) in Orange Beach, Ala.
Silvia Leonessi scored the game's lone goal in the 39th minute.
Like Thomas, William Carey has not allowed a goal in its last two matches, both against ranked teams.
The Crusaders rank 24th in the NAIA in assists per game (2.7) and 27th in shots per game (20.7).
Kaylee Zettler is 25th nationally in goals per game (1.3) and 40th in points per game (2.7). Leonessi and Savanah Carter are tied at 41st in assists per game (0.7).
LAST TIME OUT AGAINST THE CRUSADERS
No. 6 William Carey defeated Thomas, 3-1, at TU Soccer Complex on Sept. 16, 2016, in the inaugural The Sun Conference/Southern States Challenge.
Kayla Folse gave the Night Hawks a 1-0 lead in the 25th minute, but Abby Tayler leveled the game at one in the 42nd minute.
William Carey had a free kick in the 56th minute that Maren Hasselbusch collected and scored what proved to be the game-winning goal. April Stewart headed in an insurance goal with a cross from Allison Bunch in the 88th minute.
Houston collected four saves.
THOMAS IN 19TH SEASON
The 2017 campaign marks the 19th in the history of Thomas women's soccer.
The Night Hawks reached the NAIA National Championship once in 2003, going 1-1.
Thomas has been a member of The Sun Conference since 2012 and is 31-16 in league play. The Night Hawks reached The Sun Conference Tournament championship in 2015.
HOUSTON, THEY HAVE A PROBLEM
Houston was named The Sun Conference Women's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week on Aug. 28 for the first time in her career after allowing only one goal in two matches during that week. The junior ranks 14th in the country in fewest goals against per game (0.3).
ALL-TIME IN THE SUN CONFERENCE/SOUTHERN STATES CHALLENGE
Thomas is looking for its first win in the event after dropping two matches last season at TU Soccer Complex to No. 6 William Carey and No. 5 Mobile.
LOOKING TO END A SKID
Thomas is looking to end a seven-match losing streak to William Carey dating back to 2005, including losses in 2015 and 2016 to the Crusaders. The Night Hawks last defeated William Carey, 2-1, on the road on Oct. 9, 2004.
Thomas ended a four-match losing streak in season openers with a 3-0 victory at Columbia (S.C.) on Aug. 19. The Night Hawks ended a five-match losing streak in neutral site games following a 1-1 tie with Truett McConnell (Ga.) on Aug. 24 at Point (Ga.).
RECENT NIGHT HAWK DOMINANCE
Thomas has outscored its opponents this season 14-1, including 10-0 in the last two matches.
SO FRESH AND SO CLEAN
The Night Hawks have posted three shutouts in their first four matches and have not allowed a goal in the last 262:57 of game action.
ONE OR LESS
Thomas is unbeaten (6-0-1) in its last seven matches when allowing one goal or less.
ROAD WARRIORS
The Night Hawks are 7-1-1 in their last nine matches outside Thomasville.
BY THE NUMBERS
54: Taylor has started 54-straight matches dating back to 2014.
21: Twenty-one Thomas players have seen action in the first three matches.
8: Eight different Night Hawks have scored the team's 14 goals.
6: Coach Julie Orlowski is six wins shy of 50 during her time on the Magnolia Campus.
5: A total of 25 student-athletes on the roster hail from five different states and as many countries.
4: Orlowski is four wins shy of 175 for her career.
4: Houston has posted four shutouts in the last two seasons.
3: Houston and Robinson have combined for three shutouts in the last two seasons.
AMONG THE BEST IN THE NAIA
Thomas ranks 19th in the NAIA in shutouts (3), 30th in assists per game (2.5), 31st in goals per game (3.5), 45th in shots per game (18.3) and 49th in shots on goal per game (10.0).
Taylor is sixth nationally in assists per game (1.0). Anderson is eighth in game winning goals (2) and 44th in goals per game (1.0). Houston ranks 14th in fewest goals against per game (0.3).
FAMILIAR FACES
Ten of 11 starters have remained the same in three of Thomas' first four matches.
TOP 25 OPPONENTS
Orlowski's team faces four programs ranked in the latest NAIA Top 25: No. 7 William Carey (Miss.), No. 8 Keiser (Fla.), No. 12 Mobile (Ala.) and No. 15 Southeastern (Fla.).
OPPONENTS THAT MADE 2016 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
The Night Hawks face three opponents - Keiser, William Carey and Mobile - that reached last season's NAIA National Championship second round.
INTERNATIONAL PRESENCE
Orlowski's group is represented by five countries on this year's roster - the United States, Wales (Katy Hunt), England (Taylor, Gray, Wiltshire, Katy Hanscomb), Sweden (Linnea Roivas, Anna Felixson) and Ireland (Tara Walsh).
