SUNDAY'S SCORES
@Louisiana Tech 2,
Jacksonville State 0
@Eastern Illinois 2, Western Illinois 1
@Evansville 2,
Morehead State 1
@Austin Peay 3, Little Rock 0
Missouri State 5,
@SIUE 1
@Western Carolina 3,
UT Martin 2 (OT)
Belmont 1, @UAB 1 (2OT)
@Alabama 1,
Tennessee Tech 0
MISSOURI STATE 5, SIUE 1
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.- SIUE women's soccer fell to Missouri State 5-1 in their last game before conference play.
The Cougars struck first when MacKenzie Litzsinger headed in her second goal of the season in the 28th minute after a fantastic cross in from Mallory Mushill. The referee first called off sides on Litzsinger but later overruled the call.
The Bears then scored in the 41st and 42nd minutes to go into halftime up 2-1.
After halftime, the Bears struck in the 47th minute when the Cougars Katie Jordan gave up a penalty kick after a foul in the box off of a cross. Mary Disidore of Missouri State slotted the PK away.
Missouri State then scored in the 62nd minute off of a well-designed set play off of a free kick. The Bears last goal was in the 70th minute.
Becca Jostes shot twice for SIUE. The Cougars finished the game with six shots and four corners.
SIUE is back in action on Friday when they will host Belmont at 7 p.m. in their OVC opener.
BELMONT 1, UAB 1
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Belicia Mendiola (McKinney, Texas) scored her team-leading fourth goal of the season, and the Belmont women's soccer team played to a 1-1 overtime draw with UAB on Sunday afternoon. The tie runs the Bruins' record to 4-2-1 in nonconference games as they now prepare for their Ohio Valley Conference schedule.
Belmont owned the advantage in the opening 20 minutes, holding a 4-0 edge in shots before UAB (5-1-2) made its adjustments. In a game dominated less by any one team as by the winds ahead of Hurricane Irma's landfall, the Blazers took time to find their offensive footing.
The final 25 minutes of the half saw UAB hold possession in Belmont's defensive zone and fire off its first shots. Two went wide, and three offsides calls erased further scoring opportunities.
Though the teams went to halftime tied 0-0, it didn't take the Blazers long to capitalize once play resumed. In the 52nd minute, UAB's Megan Hudgens scored on a ball played out to the left side by teammate Amy Brewer. It was the home team's first shot on goal for the game.
Perhaps reinvigorated by the sudden spat of adversity, Mendiola and Belmont answered almost immediately. After BU goalkeeper Lily Herman (Springboro, Ohio) made her first of four saves for the match, this time blocking another Hudgens offering, the Bruins played the ball back the other direction. Mendiola dribbled in from the left, cut back and blasted a shot into the far side of the net.
The goal marked her second in as many games -- she beat the buzzer against UIC on Friday -- and fourth on the year. She was tied for the team lead in goals with Halle Krebs (Loveland, Ohio) entering Sunday's action.
The Bruins held a 12-7 advantage in shots at the end of regulation and headed to their first overtime of the season. A Blazers' surge in the first 10-minute OT period nearly ended the match there though. They got off three shots, one of which Herman had to block to continue the action.
Herman made another day-saving stop in double overtime, diving to her left to stop a header with about six minutes to play. Belmont couldn't muster a shot in the second OT period in settling for the draw.
With their 13-11 advantage in total shots, Belmont has now outshot every opponent but one so far this year.
Belmont opens its OVC slate at SIU Edwardsville on Friday, Sept. 15 at 7 p.m.
EVANSVILLE 2, MOREHEAD STATE 1
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - Marisa Lavatori recorded the first goal of her Morehead State career, but the Eagles (1-5) fell to Evansville (4-4) by a score of 2-1 on Sunday afternoon at McCutchan Stadium.
Evansville opened the scoring with a 15-yard rocket just 39 seconds into the match. Once the Purple Aces tacked on another goal in the 31st minute, Morehead State was on the wrong end of a 2-0 deficit by halftime.
The second half, however, was a different story. The Eagles came out firing to the tune of eight second-half shots, six more than they managed before the intermission. Lavatori's goal at the 50-minute mark injected life back into the MSU offense, but ultimately was not enough.
Sophomore forward Ashley Ritchie lead Morehead State in shot attempts, logging four with one on target. Lavatori ended the day with two shots, while Dani Wilson, Caitlyn Burdine, and Abby Timm supplied one each.
Morehead State returns to action next Thursday, kicking off Ohio Valley Conference play at Jayne Stadium. The Eagles take on Murray State (5-0) at 7 p.m. ET.
LOUISIANA TECH 2, JACKSONVILLE STATE 0
RUSTON, La. - Jacksonville State wrapped up the non-conference schedule with a 2-0 loss to Louisiana Tech on Sunday afternoon at the Tech Soccer Complex.
The Gamecocks finished the pre-conference slate with an overall record of 3-3-2 and will now turn their attention to opening Ohio Valley Conference play on Friday, Sept. 15 in Martin, Tennessee against the Skyhawks of UT Martin. JSU concluded its weekend tour of the state of Louisiana with a 1-1 mark after blanking Louisiana Monroe on Friday to start the weekend. Tech improved to 5-1-2 on the season with the result.
Tech, who had four corner kick opportunities, including three in the opening 45 minutes, took advantage of two of the set pieces with headers in to the back of the net. The Lady Techsters put the first goal on the scoreboard in the 19th minute after Haley Laque's service in to the box was sent in by Elizabeth Doll.
JSU had its chances throughout the contest with 11 total shots with four coming in the first half and added seven more in the second half. Jax State's Danelle Lindo and Danielle Monroe led the club in shots with three each, while Monroe had a pair of on goal chances. Freshman Lindsay Albani was credited with a pair of shots. Tech finished with eight shots on the afternoon.
The Lady Techsters added the second goal off of a corner piece in the 56th minute as Mylene Roy-Ouellet was credited with the scoring play in front of the goal.
JSU's visit to UTM on Friday will conclude its five-match road trip as it will return to home activity on Sunday, Sept. 17, hosting Tennessee Tech at the JSU Soccer Field. Admission is free to all JSU soccer home matches.
WESTERN CAROLINA 3, UT MARTIN 2
CULLOWHEE, N.C. – A pair of goals were not enough as the University of Tennessee at Martin soccer team fell to Western Carolina 3-2 this afternoon in another tough overtime decision.
Today’s match was the fourth overtime match of the season for the Skyhawks, all of which have occurred in the last 15 days.
UT Martin (2-5-2) was able to match the Catamounts (2-4-1) in shots on goal today as both squads tallied 11 attempts. Freshman Alice Adams (four shots, three on goal and junior Katelyn Colvin (three shots – all on goal) both led the way for the Skyhawk offense. Colvin converted her second goal of the season before Adams netted her first collegiate goal in today’s bout.
Danae Kaldaridou notched a game-high two assists and also got off two shots in the contest. Nicole Collins, Amy McGivern and Sara Ketis also were credited with shots for UT Martin, who attempted 16 total shots this afternoon.
Goalkeeper Erica Myers played all 92:18 today for the Skyhawks. She was able to tie a career-high with eight saves in the shootout, equaling her previous best against UAB (Aug. 25) and Western Kentucky (Aug. 27).
UT Martin allowed an early goal by Western Carolina’s Emily Threatt but a goal from Colvin tied things up at 1-1 in the 21st minute. That equalizer would ensure that the Skyhawks went into the halftime break even.
Adams put the Skyhawks up by a 2-1 margin in the 55th minute as she took a pass from Kaldaridou for the Skyhawks to claim their first lead of the match.
The UT Martin lead would not last long as just over a minute and a half passed before Megan McCallister tied the score at 2-all.
Ketis nearly came up with the game-winner just a few minutes later but her shot attempt at the 59:10 mark hit the crossbar.
Ketis added another shot before Adams and Kaldaridou peppered the Catamount goalkeeper with shots on goal late in the match. However, Jacquelin Gnassi was able to secure saves on the pair of Skyhawk shot attemps in the last eight-plus minutes of regulation.
Less than a minute into the overtime period, Kaldaridou nearly headed in the golden goal but Gnassi was once again there to make the save. The final blow came in overtime as Sayres McKenna netted the game-winner for the Catamounts at the 92:18 mark.
UT Martin opens Ohio Valley Conference action on Friday, Sept. 15 as it returns home to host Jacksonville State. Kickoff from Skyhawk Field is scheduled for 7 p.m.
AUSTIN PEAY 3, LITTLE ROCK 0
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Austin Peay State University women's soccer team remained unbeaten at Morgan Brothers Soccer Field, Sunday, with an explosive second half against Little Rock that saw the Govs score three goals, while sophomore goalkeeper Mary Parker Powell posted a shutout.
The first half was a back-and-forth affair as both teams struggled to manage pressure and maintain possession. Austin Peay (5-2) fired eight shots compared to Little Rock's six, but the half ended scoreless as both teams looked to regroup.
Austin Peay came out of the break poised and controlled in the offensive third. Freshman Claire Larose opened the scoring in the 50th minute beating the Trojan's goalkeeper to the right side on a pass from freshman Morgan Drawdy inside the 18-yard-box.
The Govs continued the offensive pressure and in the 69th minute senior Kirstin Robertson broke through the back line beating the keeper with a shot to the lower left corner. Robertson earned her second goal of the day beating two defenders in the box and placing the ball in the lower right corner.
Mary Parker Powell shined between the pipes with five saves, including a penalty kick, in the match and nine on the season, leading a strong Govs defense that safely cleared 11 corner kicks and protected Powell's second shutout this season.
The Govs will travel next weekend for two away matches. It's Ohio Valley Conference Opening Weekend: 3 p.m. Friday at Eastern Kentucky and 2 p.m Sunday at Belmont.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 2, WESTERN ILLINOIS 1
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Eastern Illinois women's soccer won its third straight match as the Panthers held off Western Illinois, 2-1, on Sunday afternoon at Lakeside Field. EIU improved to 5-2-1 on the season while WIU dropped to 0-6.
Sarah DeWolf put the Panthers up 1-0 in the 29th minute as she had a quick touch for a goal on a ball passed through the zone by Emma Scaro. The Panthers led 1-0 at the half as they held a 9-3 shots advantage.
Kate Olson put an important insurance goal on the board for EIU in the 53rd minute as she headed home a ball that deflected off the cross bar on a throw-in by Hannah Heinz. It was Olson's second goal of the weekend and her second game winner. On Friday she had the golden goal in the second overtime that beat Fort Wayne.
Stacie Wolfgram scored Western Illinois first goal of the season in the 77th minute as the Leathernecks continued to attack the goal. Wolfgram stole the ball on a turnover and dribbled through a couple of EIU defenders before beating the goalkeeper to the upper right corner. WIU had an 8-3 shots advantage in the second half.
EIU returns to action on Friday evening at Marian (Ind.) University and then will open Ohio Valley Conference play next Sunday at home against SIUE at 1 p.m.
ALABAMA 1, TENNESSEE TECH 0
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - An early setback proved costly for the Tennessee Tech soccer team Sunday evening, as a quick score against the Golden Eagles served as the lone blemish in a 1-0 loss at the University of Alabama. Tech (3-3-0) fell victim to an own goal in the sixth minute, the only time either squad split the pipes in an otherwise defensive showcase that put a lid on TTU's non-conference campaign.
The Tide (7-1-0), who run their winning streak to five straight after Sunday evening's nod, were held to a season-low tying 13 shots, nearly six under their nightly average of 18.9.
Alabama applied pressure to the Golden Eagles from the onset, even prior to the own goal. Red-shirt freshman Chloe Maize took the first shot of the match, a third-minute try that was halted by junior Kari Naerdemann.
Naerdemann would end up with six saves, stopping all five that came her way after the own goal. On the opposite side of the pitch, senior Kat Stratton was not forced into making a save as Tech did not produce a shot on-goal.
The Golden Eagles took seven shots, three by sophomore Nora Vicsek to lead the purple and gold. Junior Tina Marolt collected two shots, the only other Golden Eagle with more than one attempt.
With non-conference action in the rearview mirror, Tech will set its sights on Ohio Valley Conference play. The Golden Eagles start their conference slate away from Cookeville, continuing their longest road trip of the year with a visit to Southeast Missouri Friday, Sept. 15 at 6:30 p.m. CT. TTU will be at Jacksonville State on Sunday, Sept. 17 for a 1 p.m. first kick with the Gamecocks.