SUNDAY'S SCORES
Murray State 2, @Tennessee Tech 1
@Southeast Missouri 1, Jacksonville State 0
@SIUE 1, Eastern Kentucky 0
Morehead State 2, @Austin Peay 1
UT Martin 3, Belmont 1
SIUE 1, Eastern Kentucky 0
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - SIUE women's soccer recorded a 1-0 win over Ohio Valley Conference opponent Eastern Kentucky Sunday at Ralph Korte Stadium.
The match was the last home game for the five Cougar seniors Taylor Berutti, Marissa Delgado, Jennifer Pelley, Cassidy Sherman, and Katye Skrivan, who were honored before the game.
The Cougars improve their OVC record to 2-4-1 while EKU falls to 3-6.
SIUE began the first period with a strong offensive attack, tallying 10 shots in the first 45 minutes of play. Despite the chances, both teams went to the locker rooms at halftime in a scoreless tie.
The Cougars finally scored in the 78th minute to tally the lone goal of the game. Alexandra Johnson gave a pass to Emily Grahl, who chased the ball up the sideline and took her defender one on one inside the box. Grahl then gave a cross to Caroline Hoefert, who got a shot from the top of the circle. The shot hit the near post before getting to the back of the net, marking Hoefert's third goal this season, the most of any Cougar.
The Colonels had seven shots in the second half to even the score, but SIUE remained diligent on defense to record the team's eighth shutout this season. Jennifer Pelley adds to her career shutout record, which now totals to 29.
Hoefert along with Ashlyn Walter and Courtney Benning led the offensive attack with three shots apiece. Pelley made three saves in the game to earn the shutout.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 1, JACKSONVILLE STATE 0
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - The Southeast Missouri soccer team earned a 1-0 victory over Jacksonville State at home Sunday.
Southeast improves to 8-5-3 and 3-2-2 in Ohio Valley Conference play. The Gamecocks fall to 7-8-1, 4-3-1 OVC.
Freshman Lauren Kaempfe scored her first career goal 4:04 into the match. As a Gamecock defender tried to clear the ball out of JSU territory, the ball deflected off another Gamecock player and right in front of Kaempfe. Kaempfe dribbled and shot it past the goalkeeper, who was playing out, and into the back of the net, putting the Redhawks up 1-0.
Kaempfe's goal would stand to be the difference maker in the match as Southeast went on to down Jacksonville State, 1-0.
Jacksonville State had solid control of the ball late in the game but the Redhawk defense held strong for the win.
The Redhawks had a couple other great chances at a goal including a header by Jordan Nelson off a corner kick but was right into the arms of the keeper.
The Redhawks outshot the Gamecocks 9-7 in the match. Kaempfe's goal and Nelson's header were the only shots on goal for the Redhawks. JSU put three shots on goal in the match.
Southeast had four corner kicks in the game and were called for 14 fouls.
Maddy Cornell and Kaempfe each had two shots to lead the Redhawks.
Lierz (7-5-3) earned the shutout victory. Lierz played the full 90 minutes in goal and made three saves in the match. With her 13th career solo shutout, Lierz takes sole possession of fourth place on Southeast's top-five list.
Caroline Robinson (6-8-1) also played the full 90 minutes in goal. Robinson made one save and gave up one goal.
MOREHEAD STATE 2, AUSTIN PEAY 1
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - An action packed second half extended Morehead State soccer's road winning streak to three matches with a 2-1 victory over Austin Peay at Morgan Brothers Soccer Field on Sunday afternoon.
After allowing a quick goal at the start of the second half to Austin Peay junior forward Nicole Wojcik, the Eagles quickly went on the pursuit. On a corner kick in the 57th minute, senior defender Teig Palmateer punted the ball inside the box, finding senior midfielder Kim Golden, who registered her first goal of the season. Golden unleashed a low line drive past the goalkeeper to tie the match at one. Shortly later in the 57th minute, another senior would get in on the scoring fun. Freshman forward Abby Timm fed senior midfielder Macy Kootz at the top right corner of the goalkeeper's box and Kootz fired an 18-yard screamer into the net, giving the Eagles the 2-1 lead.
The Governors worked to try and answer, but freshman goalkeeper Michelle Washburn kept them at bay, collecting three saves in the final 32 minutes of action. The win for Washburn was her second of the season.
MURRAY STATE 2, TENNESSEE TECH 1
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - In a battle pinning the top two teams in the Ohio Valley Conference at Tech Soccer Field, Murray State got the better of the Tennessee Tech Soccer team with a 2-1 victory on TTU's Senior Day.
The Racers (11-4-0, 7-0-0) capitalized on their chances behind two scores on only three shots on-goal to remain perfect in OVC play, while the Golden Eagles (7-6-3, 5-2-0) fell for just the second time in conference action, despite registering 16 shots, nine of which were on-goal. Overall, Tech won the shot battle, 16-12.
Trailing 2-0 in the 69th minute, the Golden Eagles found a way to slice the deficit in half thanks the first career goal by senior Mackenzie Miller. Playing on her Senior Day, the Wildwood, Mo. native found a way to wrangle the ball away from Racers' goalkeeper Alex Steigerwald, before firing one into the back of the net to
Miller's goal was one of many chances that Tech had in the second stanza, a period that saw the Golden Eagles come up empty on two set pieces from inside the box, and a serious threat from freshman Mayra Tarraga Manzanal in the half's early stages.
The Gerona, Spain native cradled in a pass in the 53rd minute that took her past the back line of the Murray State defense with just the keeper to beat, but freshman Alex Steigerwald came charging out and halted the Tarraga Manzanal attempt to keep the Racers in the lead.
Steigerwald's save was one of seven made in the tilt for the West Chester, Ohio native, five of which came in the first half. Tech freshman Kari Naerdemann was forced into making just one save over the course of 90 minutes.
The Racers leapt on the scoreboard in the 19th minute, finding the back of the net on crisp ball movement that featured a pair of passes from Taylor Stevens and Harriet Withers that led to a Taylor Richerson strike from inside the box to christen the scoring. Richerson collected her fifth goal of the season, while Stevens and Withers both notched assists on the play.
Stevens would be heard from later, scoring in the 57th minute to bump up the Racers' edge to 2-0 on the Fort Wayne, Ind. native's sixth goal of the year. The 5-foot-6 senior split the pipes after hauling in a pass from sophomore Aaron Lankster, who earned an assist, along with Withers on the score, after Withers hooked up Lankster to begin the Murray scoring chance.
UT MARTIN 3, BELMONT 1
MARTIN, Tenn. - Goals coming in the opening three minutes of both the first and second halves proved to be the difference as the University of Tennessee at Martin women’s soccer team notched a 3-1 victory over Belmont.
UT Martin (5-10, 3-4 OVC) was led by goal scorers Maggie Burkett, Saphyra Coombs-James and Sierra Franz in the victory that keeps the Skyhawks in contention for the Ohio Valley Conference Soccer Tournament. Coombs-James led the Skyhawks with four shots while Franz, Sara Ketis and Amy McGivern each attempted two shots each. Maya Jamison picked up her second win of the season in goal, notching three saves against the Bruins.
The Skyhawks jumped out to a quick start against Belmont (3-11-2, 2-5-1 OVC) taking the opening shot two minutes into the match. It was the follow up, coming moments later that proved to be the difference. After Coombs-James shot was blocked, Burkett collected the attempted clearance by the Bruins and fired a shot from 10 yards for the goal. The goal gives the Kingsport, Tenn. native two goals on the season.
UT Martin looked for more offense after the goal with Franz and Ketis firing shots just high of the Bruins net minutes after. As the half ticked down, Belmont found its offense firing six of the last eight shots of the half to even the shot count at six each.
Much like the first half, UT Martin came out seeking to double its lead and did in the 48th minute with Coombs-James. On a quick 2 v 1 attack, sophomore Olivia Bohlman connected with the Brampton, Ontario native that tipped the pass over the incoming Bruin keeper Stephanie Bukovec and into the net. The goal pushes
Coombs-James to six this season and 21 for her career, one off from third place in program history.
The Bruins fought back and cut the Skyhawk lead in half in the 75th minute on a goal from Belicia Mendiola. Meg Howard began the play with space in the middle of the field and fired a high volley over the defense. Mendiola chased down the ball and slotted it just past Jamison to make it 2-1.
Both teams battled during the final minutes of the half but a quick counter attack gave UT Martin the needed insurance goal with four minute left. Led by Katlyn Colvin down the right side, the freshman fired a cross into the box that was cleared by the Bruins’ defense. Franz collected the ball just outside the box and fired a laser from 20 yards out, hitting just inside the right post. The goal pushes Franz into second place on the team with four goals during her freshman campaign.
The early second half goal by Coombs-James was special as it was her eighth game-winning goal of her Skyhawk career and third of the season. The accomplishment puts her in a tie with Abi Sanvee (2010-13) and UT Martin Hall of Famer Dani Myrick (2002-05) for most game-winning goals in program history.