Shifting to the defensive backfield position proved to be the right move for Eastern’s Meagan Radloff, as her three goals in two matches earned her Ohio Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors.

Radloff scored the Panthers’ only goal in last Friday’s loss to Belmont, while netting two in Sunday’s win over Austin Peay. Radloff’s first goal of the weekend against Belmont came off a set piece strike from about 40-yards out. Her first goal against Austin Peay, her second of the weekend, again came off a set piece, this time set up on the assist by teammate Allie Lakie. Radloff’s third goal came off a penalty shot after a hand-ball call in the goal box. The penalty shot goal was Radloff’s second of the season.

“This is kind of when I started scoring my goals last year, so I was kind of just waiting for it to come, hoping it would, so it felt good,” Radloff said after Sunday’s win.

Radloff led the Panthers in scoring last season and with 11 points coming off four goals and three assists, the senior from West Chicago is back in that spot again this year.

Radloff and the Panthers take on Tennessee Tech, a team she scored twice against last season, at 3 p.m. Friday in Cookeville, Tenn., followed by another road match at 1 p.m. Sunday against Jacksonville State in Jacksonville, Ala.

The OVC’s current points leader, Jade Flory, of Morehead State, was named OVC Offensive Player of the Week. Flory, who currently has 24 points off nine goals and six assists, saw two of those goals come this weekend. Flory scored twice and had an assist against Tennessee Tech, leading the Eagles to a 3-0 win.

Southern Illinois-Edwardsville goalkeeper Jennifer Pelley was named OVC Goalkeeper of the Week after making five saves in a pair of wins over Murray State and Tennessee-Martin.

Standings

After the second week of conference play, Morehead State leads the way with 10 points and a 3-0-1 record.

The Eagles, led by Flory, picked up wins over Jacksonville State and Tennessee Tech this past weekend. They take on Murray State and Tennessee-Martin on the road this weekend.

Southern Illinois-Edwardsville currently sits in second place with nine points. The Cougars picked up an overtime win over Murray State on Friday, followed by a win over Tennessee-Martin on Sunday. Both matches ended in 2-1 scores. They take on Belmont on the road Friday and host Austin Peay on Sunday.

Murray State, Jacksonville State, Southeast Missouri and Tennessee-Martin are all tied for third with six points.

Belmont has five points, while Eastern Kentucky has four. Eastern and Austin Peay both have three points, while Tennessee Tech has zero.

Dominic Renzetti can be reached at 581-2812 or dcrenzetti@eiu.edu.