at Eastern Illinois (Friday, Aug. 31): Live Stats 
at Toledo (Sunday, Sept. 2): Live Stats I ESPN+

CHARLESTON, Ill. - The IUPUI women's soccer team will close a daunting stretch this weekend when the Jaguars play two more road games, beginning with Friday's kickoff at Eastern Illinois. The two-game weekend will close at Toledo on Sunday and be broadcast on ESPN+. 

The Jaguars come in having dropped three straight with road losses at Butler, Murray State and Eastern Kentucky coming on the heels of the season-opening 2-0 home win over Marian. 

Through four games, sophomore forward Miranda Ricks leads the Jaguars in scoring with a goal and an assist while Jessi Cowen and Braegan Lyon have accounted for the Jaguars' other two goals. Sophomore midfielder Natalie McNally leads the field players with 335 minutes played. In goal, junior Sophia Lipka has a 2.00 goals against average and 24 saves in the season's first four games, including a shutout. The reigning Horizon League Goalkeeper of the Year entered this week ranking 13th in the country in total saves. 

Early on this season, 15 different players have started at least one game as head coach Chris Johnson continues to tinker to find the right combinations. 

QUOTABLE: "It was a much better performance today and probably our best overall performance of the year. It's getting better and we're finding some things - it's just not where we want it to be yet. We're getting closer but we're still not necessarily making the little plays that help you win games yet. It'll come, but it's not there yet," Johnson said after Sunday's 3-1 loss at Eastern Kentucky. 

PERSPECTIVE: IUPUI opened last season 1-3 before rattling off 12 straight wins, beginning with a pair of 1-0 victories on a two-game trip to New York. 

SCOUTING EIU: Eastern Illinois is 0-2-1 to start the season, having played Valpo to a scoreless draw before falling to a pair of Horizon League foes at Milwaukee (0-3) and Green Bay (2-3). Sarah DeWolf has both of EIU's goals on the year with Henar Urteaga and Haylee Renick have assists. Defensively, Sara Teteak has a 1.35 goals against average in two games in goal while Daniela Bermeo has a 3.27 GAA in her lone appearance of the season. For the year, EIU has been outshot 52-18 and outscored 6-2. 

SCOUTING TOLEDO: Toledo is 2-1-1 on the year, including back-to-back wins over UIC (6-1) and Valparaiso (2-0) last weekend. Hannah Scafaria has five of the Rockets' goals while firing a team-high 15 shot attempts through four games. In goal, Madison Perrin has played the bulk of the team's minutes, registering a 1.00 goals against average and .789 save percentage in four starts. 

INSIDE THE SERIES: IUPUI is 2-5-2 all-time against Eastern Illinois and 0-1 all-time against Toledo. The Jags lost at home to EIU last season, 2-0 and won the last meeting in Charleston in 2016, 2-1. The Jaguars' lone meeting with Toledo came on Nov. 1, 1998 when IUPUI lost 6-0. 

NEXT UP: The Jaguars will return home to host Taylor University on Wednesday night (Sept. 5) at 7:00 p.m. at Carroll Stadium.