SUNDAY'S SCORES
Eastern Kentucky 3, @Morehead State 2 (OT)
Tennessee Tech 1, @Jacksonville State 0
SIUE 3, @Eastern Illinois 0
@UT Martin 1, Southeast Missouri 0
@Belmont 3, Austin Peay 2
Saint Louis 1,
@Murray State 0
EASTERN KENTUCKY 3, MOREHEAD STATE 2
MOREHEAD, Ky. - Sophomore Marian Wolski made her first career goal count, scoring the game-winner in overtime to lift the Eastern Kentucky University soccer team past rival Morehead State, 3-2, on Sunday afternoon at Jayne Stadium.
The game was tied, 1-1, in the 76th minute when freshman Kylie Thompson received a pass from sophomore Erin Torrence on a breakaway, drew MSU keeper Michelle Washburn out of the box and buried a shot from distance to give EKU (4-3-2, 1-0-1 OVC) the late lead.
Thompson’s first collegiate goal looked like it would be the game-winner, until EKU was whistled for a handball in the box with just over a minute left in regulation. Cara Maher converted the resulting penalty kick to tie it and force overtime.
Six minutes into overtime, senior Jordan Foster took on a defender one-on-one, got past her and delivered a beautiful cross to Wolski at the far post, who tapped it in for the golden goal.
Wolski – a 2016 OVC All-Newcomer selection – recorded two assists last season, but this was her first-career goal.
Senior Emmi Carroll got the Colonels going early when she headed in a corner kick off the foot of sophomore Sam Eastes in the ninth minute to make it 1-0. It was Carroll’s 15th career goal, which ranks third all-time at EKU.
Morehead State (1-7, 0-2 OVC) evened it up in the 30th minute off a goal from Morgan Treser.
Eastern outshot Morehead State, 15-10, on the day. Foster led all players in the game with six shots, three of which were on target.
Senior goalkeeper Anna Hall made three saves in the game. Center backs Katie Shaffer and Haley Kemper played all 96 minutes of the thrilling win for EKU.
SIUE 3, EASTERN ILLINOIS 0
CHARLESTON, Ill.- Eastern Illinois opened Ohio Valley Conference play at home on Sunday afternoon suffering a 3-0 loss to SIUE at Lakeside Field.
EIU dropped to 5-4-1, 0-1 in the OVC. SIUE improved to 4-4-1, 2-0 in the OVC.
The Panthers had a good scoring chance early in the match as Sarah DeWolf fired a shot from close range that SIUE goalkeeper Juli Rossi was able to save. Rossi would save another DeWolf close range attempt in the second half as she turned away both of Eastern Illinois scoring opportunities for the shut out.
On the other side MacKenzie Litzsinger gave the Cougars a 1-0 leads in the 29th minute as she redirected a cross into the goal from Becca Jostes to give SIUE a 1-0 lead at the half.
Emily Grahl would take the ball at midfield in the 71st minute and beat two defenders on a breakaway to score an insurance goal for SIUE. The final tally for the Cougars came in the 87th minute with Allison Wendt finishing off a cross from Mariah Vollmer.
TENNESSEE TECH 1, JACKSONVILLE STATE 0
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - A defensive battle shifted in the Tennessee Tech soccer team's direction, as the Golden Eagles collected a second-half score en route to a 1-0 victory at Jacksonville State. Tech (4-4-0, 1-1-0) smacks an exclamation point at the end of a season-long, four-match road trip, securing its first OVC win in the process and breaking a three-match losing streak as well.
Freshman Kendall Powell found a way to break the scoreless knot early in the second half, knocking one off her head and into the back of the net in the 53rd minute to jump the Golden Eagles on top. The Cookeville native received a serve from junior Tina Marolt, before Powell headed one over the try of JSU's Caroline Robinson for the winner. Powell becomes the first Golden Eagle with two goals this season, while Marolt's second-assist is also a club-best.
The Tech defense was its reliable self yet again, holding the Gamecocks (3-5-2, 0-2-0) to just four shots on-goal for the squad's fourth shutout this season. TTU also makes it six of eight matches this year in which the opponent has been blanked in regulation, with an own goal at Alabama on Sept. 10 serving as one of the two occasions a club has scored against Tech in the first 90 minutes.
Junior Kari Naerdemann halted all four Jacksonville State shots that came her way, as the two-time OVC Player of the Year carded her 22nd career shutout. Across the way, Caroline Robinson stopped three of Tech's four attempts.
The Golden Eagles held a narrow edge in the shot department, behind a 9-8 advantage. Powell and sophomore Nora Vicsek each had a pair to lead the Tech charge. Sophomore Rachel Blanding notched four attempts to pace the JSU attack.
BELMONT 3, AUSTIN PEAY 2
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Junior Megan Michela (Carol Stream Ill.) broke up an even keeled matchup against Austin Peay in the final minutes Sunday afternoon at E.S. Rose Park. The midfielder's late goal gave Belmont women's soccer its first conference win as it topped APSU, 3-2.
Three has proven to be the magic number for the Bruins (5-3-1, 1-1-0) all season long as they have netted a trio of goals in each five of their victories in 2017, a stat that proved to stand tall once again. After an action filled 11 minute span in the first half left the match all knotted up, 2-2, both teams settled down for more than 50 minutes before Belmont would tally thier third score.
It all started in the 18th minute when junior Emily Whitcomb's (Elmhurst, Ill.) head found a perfectly served corner kick from senior Belicia Mendiola (McKinney, Texas). Whitcomb sat at the far post and patiently waited for Mendiola's volley to descend before charging at the goal and sending the ball into the net to put BU up, 1-0.
Seven minutes later the Bruins doubled their advantage after freshman Sydney Cason (Hendersonville, Tenn.) received a thru ball from junior Tara Austin (Beaumont, Texas) and beat the Governors defense. The rookie then capitalized on a one on one situation with APSU keeper Mary Parker Powell, tapping the ball on the outside of her foot and letting it softly roll into the goal. Austin's assisst marker the fourth time this season that she's contributed to a Bruin goal.
The Governors (5-3-1, 0-1-1) refused to let up as they fired back, notching a pair of goals within 75 seconds of each other. The first came from Carol Larose who maneuvered her way through multiple Bruins before finding an opening. Pamela Penaloza then sent in the equalizer after retrieving a ball that sophomore keeper Lily Herman (Springboro, Ohio) had gotten a piece of but couldn't corral it in time. Penaloza's goal tied the match up, 2-2.
After the scoring frenzy both squads settled in and would hardly give up a shot for the remainder of the match. Belmont's backline kept Austin Peay shotless for the opening 25 minutes of the second stanza and would hold them to three the entire half.
It was a similar story for the Bruins who had only fired off a pair of shots in the second until the final minutes of the match when their offense seemed to wake up. Mendiola got things going when she sent a laser at the frame from the top of the box that nearly missed over the crossbar.
Michela finally had the answer to separate the Bruins from the Governors in the 84th minute when she headed in a cross from sophomore Kameron Ziesig (Brentwood, Tenn.) to tally her second game-winning goal of the season and seal BU first conference win.
UT MARTIN 1, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 0
MARTIN, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Martin soccer program kept the momentum rolling as they overtook Southeast Missouri 1-0 this afternoon.
UT Martin (4-5-2, 2-0 OVC) picked up its second straight victory today for an opening Ohio Valley Conference weekend sweep.
The Skyhawks battled the heat as well as the Redhawks today as officials added three stoppages for water breaks on the day. Despite the warm conditions, UT Martin played another physical match as there were a total of 21 fouls and two yellow cards issued in the bout.
UT Martin was led by sophomore Nicole Collins who netted her second goal of the season and led the Skyhawks in shots (three shots, two on goal). Bella Roberts, Katelyn Colvin, Danae Kaldaridou and Alice Adams also worked into the shot category while Alexius Thomas tallied her first career assist today.
Skyhawk goalkeeper Erica Myers put together another shutout victory (second of her career) as she saved five would-be goals. After facing only one shot on goal in the first period, she made four stops in the second half.
UT Martin’s game-winner came from Collins in the 80th minute of action. The Newark, NY native took a pass from Thomas, dribbled up the left side of the field enclosing on the Southeast Missouri goal and reeled off a shot that found the back of the net for her second goal of the season
SAINT LOUIS 1, MURRAY STATE 0
MURRAY, Ky. - The Murray State Racers (6-1-0) tasted defeat for the first time this year, as they lost to Saint Louis (8-0-1) in a hard fought battle at Cutchin Field in Murray, Ky.
Much like two rams running into each other, no one gave an inch in the first frame of action. Saint Louis had three shots with one reaching target, while Murray had four shots with one getting on goal.
It was in the second half though, Saint Louis was able to push ahead, due in part to the 10 shots taken by the Billikens. Saint Louis scored in the 65th minute with a cross into the box, finding an open attacker who put it away for the sole goal of the game.
Alex Steigerwald made five saves in her first loss of the season.
Harriet Withers is still chasing the Murray State all-time record of 34 career goals, as she stands at 33 career goals.