SUNDAY'S SCORES
Chattanooga 1,
@Eastern Kentucky 0
@Jacksonville State 2, FIU 0
@UT Martin 0, Little Rock 0 (2OT)
@Colorado State 3,
SIUE 2
Murray State 2, @Samford 0
Tennessee Tech 0, @Troy 0 (2OT)
@Southeast Missouri 3, Southern Miss 2
@Lipscomb 2,
Belmont 1
@Middle Tennessee 4,
Austin Peay 0
@Louisville 3,
Morehead State 0
CHATTANOOGA 1, EASTERN KENTUCKY 0
RICHMOND, KY. - The Eastern Kentucky University soccer team fell to Chattanooga, 1-0, in its home opener on Sunday afternoon.
EKU (0-2) dominated most of the afternoon, outshooting UTC, 16-6, and attempting eight corner kicks to the Mocs’ one; however, it was Chattanooga that capitalized on an early opportunity. In the 10th minute, Maggie Shaw played a ball through to Emily Szymanski, who put the visitors up for good.
Eastern had chances to equalize, including dangerous shots on frame from juniors Taran McMillan and Jess Philpot, but UTC goalkeeper Abbey Saddler made five saves to preserve the clean sheet.
“Our attention to detail was not good enough today,” head coach Matt Cosinuke said. “We let up a soft goal early and had to play catch up the rest of the game. Our energy and desire was there, but our follow through in the important moments still needs to get better.”
McMillan, Philpot, senior Marian Wolski and sophomores Sarah Owusu and Baylee Lanter all attempted multiple shots on the afternoon for the Colonels.
Sophomore goalkeeper Zoe Aguirre played all 90 minutes in goal and made three saves.
EKU hits the road this week to face Oakland on Thursday night, August 29. First touch from Rochester, Michigan is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 2, FIU 0
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - The Jacksonville State soccer team wrapped up the opening weekend of the 2019 season with a 2-0 win over Florida International on Sunday afternoon in the home opener for the Gamecocks.
For the second consecutive year, Jax State turned two wins on the first week of the season. Last season, JSU opened with wins over Louisiana-Monroe and Jackson State. JSU opened the season on Friday with a 7-0 road win at Alcorn State. The Gamecocks capped off the weekend, out shooting the opposition, 46-7. FIU drops to 0-2 on the season.
After a scoreless 49 minutes and 10 combined shots in the first half, JSU senior Cheyenne Carden posted the eventual game-winning goal in the 50th minute. Carden delivered her second goal of the weekend from the right side of the box after taking a direct feed from junior Alicia Pallister. Pallister collected her second assist of the first weekend of action after dishing out an assist on Friday at ASU. Carden, from Huntsville, Alabama, had three total shots. Jax State matched the two clubs' shot total of the opening 45 minutes with 10 in the second half. After seven looks at goal in the first half, FIU was held to one shot in the second half.
Transfer Cephana Deane was able to take one of those chances in the 80th minute as she was able to get around the Panther keeper for her first goal as a Gamecocks. Deane joined the JSU program after one season at James Madison University.
Senior Emma Meadows and Carden paced the Gamecocks' attack with three shot attempts, while Pallister added a pair of shots.
The Gamecocks return to the pitch on Friday, August 30, hosting Lipscomb at the JSU Soccer Field. Match time is set for 7 p.m. The Bisons won the Atlantic Sun Conference in 2018 and reached the round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament. Admission is free to all JSU JSU home soccer matches.
UT MARTIN 0, LITTLE ROCK 0
MARTIN, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Martin soccer team remained unbeaten on the season but did not find the winning result on Sunday afternoon, finishing in a scoreless tie against Little Rock.
The Skyhawks (1-0-1) controlled the tempo for much of the contest, holding 59 percent of the possession throughout the game. UT Martin would outshoot Little Rock in the contest by a final tally of 15-13 while placing five shots on goal. Freshman Isabel Almarsdottir paced the squad with four shots while Alice Adams tallied three of her own – including two on goal.
Junior goalkeeper Erica Myers was solid once again, recording her ninth career shutout after a stellar performance on Thursday evening. Myers recorded seven saves in goal to move her season total up to 20 through just two games.
As a whole, the trio of Myers, Almarsdottir and Kamryn Chappell, played all 110 minutes of the contest while Lotte Koot and Miah Olaleye each eclipsed the century mark.
COLORADO STATE 3, SIUE 2
FORT COLLINS, Colo. - The Cougars fell short to the Rams of Colorado State, 3-2 on Sunday. The team now moves to 0-1-1 on the season.
MacKenzie Litzsinger scored the first goal of the game at the 13-minute mark, with an assist from Emily Dutko. It did not take long before the Rams responded with a goal of their own at the 19-minute mark.
The Rams also found the back of the net at both the 25th and the 50th minute.
Despite out shooting the Rams 13-7, the only other goal scored by the Cougars came at minute 86 from Megan Keeven with an assist from Taylor Dolt.
The team will have a week to prepare before traveling to Indiana State to take on the Sycamores with a kickoff set for 1:00 p.m.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 3, SOUTHERN MISS 2
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Esmie Gonzales scored the game-winning goal off a pass from Megan Heisserer at the 80-minute mark to send Southeast Missouri (1-0) to a 3-2 season-opening victory over Southern Mississippi (0-2) Sunday afternoon in front of a crowd of more than 500 at Houck Field.
Both Gonzales and Heisserer finished with a goal, one assist and two shots. The two assisted each other on their first goals of the season.
The Golden Eagles struck first with a goal off of a free kick from 20 yards out. The goal was made by Alice Campos, giving Southern Miss the 1-0 lead.
SEMO tied the game at 43:05 with a goal from Morgan McCourt on a penalty kick after the Golden Eagles fouled Gonzales in the box. The game would go into halftime deadlocked at 1-1.
The Redhawks took a 2-1 lead at the 64th minute of play on a goal by Heisserer, the first of her collegiate career. Gonzales passed the ball from the left side to the middle, where Heisserer was planted about 10 yards out and knocked it in.
Southern Miss tied the game again at the 74th minute on a penalty kick following a foul in the box. Hailey Pohevitz took the shot and evened things up.
Gonzales then scored the decisive goal. The goal came off a pass from the left side by Heisserer and put the Redhawks ahead, 3-2, with 10 minutes left.
Bailey Redden recorded four saves on the day off nine total shots.
The Redhawks hit the road to face Southeastern Conference opponents Arkansas and Ole Miss at the Ole Miss Tournament Aug. 29 and Sept. 1.
MURRAY STATE 2, SAMFORD 0
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Murray State women's soccer traveled to Birmingham, Alabama on Sunday afternoon to take on the Bulldogs of Samford University in their first road match of the 2019 regular season. Behind a pair of goals from Miyah Watford and a clean sheet from Jenna Villacres, the Racers earned a 2-0 victory over Samford, who received top-25 votes in the most recent United Soccer Coaches Poll earlier this month.
Both sides engaged in a physical battle in a first half that would remain scoreless until the 39th minute, when senior Miyah Watford gave the Racers a 1-0 advantage after she neatly tucked a ball into the bottom corner for her second goal of the 2019 campaign.
Murray State would fire five shots overall while landing three on target and tallying three corners heading into halftime.
The Racers and Bulldogs traded a few opportunities early in the second half before Murray State doubled their lead with 22 minutes left to play.
Miyah Watford carried the ball into the attacking third before slotting a ball to freshman Parker Greer who was fouled in the penalty area in the run of play. It would be Watford once more who converted the ensuing penalty kick for her second goal of the afternoon as Murray State took a commanding 2-0 lead.
The pair of goals for Miyah Watford against her former team are her second and third goals in just two games to begin 2019, while freshman goalkeeper Jenna Villacres collected 13 saves to earn her first career shutout for Murray State.
As a team, Murray State turned in nine shots while earning five corner kicks on the afternoon.
The Racers, who improve to 1-1 in 2019, will be back in action on Friday when they host Big 10 opponent Indiana at Cutchin Field in Murray, Kentucky.
TENNESSEE TECH 0, TROY 0
TROY, Ala. - The Tennessee Tech soccer team put a second check mark in the tie column, as the Golden Eagles played Troy to a scoreless draw in the final match of the Trojan Classic Sunday afternoon.
Tech (0-0-2), who opened up the 2019 campaign with a 2-2 deadlock with South Alabama Friday evening, outshot the Trojans 13-6, highlighted by an 11-2 discrepancy after intermission. Troy (1-0-) managed one shot on-goal after the break, a Kate Lorenz attempt nearly midway into the second overtime that was halted by Isabelle Austin.
Tech's first clean sheet of the season saw Isabelle Austin register three saves between the pipes for her first career shutout. The Golden Eagles have now gone nearly 180 minutes without allowing a goal after blanking South Alabama for the tilt's final 68 minutes Friday night.
Junior Kendall Powell led the contest with five total shots, two of which were on-goal. Senior Nora Vicsek tallied three shots, while sophomore Cassidy Bereda was the only other Golden Eagle with more than one shot behind two attempts. Freshman Sarah Block and seniors Rachel Blow and Tina Marolt each had one try.
The Trojans, who were coming off a 7-0 win in their season opener Friday evening, were paced by Kendra Cashion's two shots. Troy outshot the Golden Eagles, 4-2, in the affair's first half.
Troy goalkeeper Haleigh Mercer collected three stops in the contest.
16 Golden Eagles appeared in the match. Isabelle Austin, Rachel Blow, Kaitie Shipley and Kendall Webb played all 110 minutes. Nora Vicsek nearly went the distance with 107 minutes of action.
Tech will continue its five-match road trip to begin the year with two contests in Tempe, Ariz. over the weekend. The Golden Eagles will tangle with Arizona State on Friday, Aug. 30 at 9 p.m. CT, before closing out their stay out West Sunday, Sept. 1 against the University of Arizona at noon.
LIPSCOMB 2, BELMONT 1
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - After leading for 20 minutes in the second half, the Belmont women's soccer team fell short in Sunday's Battle of the Boulevard at Lipscomb 2-1.
Lipscomb came up with eight shots in the first half, but the Bisons' two shots on goal saved by senior goalkeeper Lily Herman to keep the game tied at halftime. Hewitt's free kick goal in the 54th minute allowed Belmont to take a 1-0 lead, but a header goal by the Bisons tied the match 1-1.
The Bisons responded by collecting another goal with five minutes remaining in the match to take the lead 2-1.
Belmont finishes off its three-game road trip at Southern Illinois on Friday at 6 p.m.
MIDDLE TENNESSEE 4, AUSTIN PEAY 0
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Austin Peay State University soccer dropped its first match of the season against Middle Tennessee Sunday at Dean A. Hayes Stadium.
After a double overtime marathon against Chattanooga, Friday, Austin Peay’s (0-1-1) defense came out with a similar effort, keeping a clean sheet through first half. The tides turned in the second half as Middle Tennessee scored four times to hand the Governors their first loss of the season.
The Govs opened with a solid defensive effort in the first half, keeping Middle Tennessee (2-0) off the board in the first 45 minutes. However, the Governors were unable to capitalize, and an uneventful first half ended tied at zero.
Coming out of the halftime break, Middle Tennessee scored what proved to be the game winner in the 46th minute. The Blue Raiders quickly found the back of the net twice more, scoring in the 52nd and 58th minutes. Middle Tennessee scored the final goal of the night, extending their lead to four on a penalty kick in the 73rd minute.
Once again the Govs were led on the offensive end by junior Claire Larose, who fired a team high three shots, while five other Governors got off a single shot. Through two games, Larose leads the Govs with seven shots, in 2018 she had 21 more shots than any other Gov.
The Governors return to action at 7 p.m., Friday night to take on Mercer in the home opener. After a week off the Govs return to the road for a Sept. 5 match at Colorado and a noon, Sept. 8 match at Northern Colorado.
LOUISVILLE 3, MOREHEAD STATE 0
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Morehead State Soccer team fell 3-0 to the Louisville Cardinals on Sunday evening at Lynn Stadium.
The Cardinals first goal came in the 23rd minute after a cross from Arianna Ferraro found the inside of Maisie Whitsett's cleat and skipped to the right of MSU freshman goalkeeper Grace Gaffney.
The score remained at 1-0 over the next 29 minutes of play before Emina Ekic's through ball beat the Eagles' back line and found a streaking Delaney Snyder for a goal that was nearly blocked away by Gaffney.
Following an Eagles' attack in the 60th minute, the Cardinals were able to counter for their third goal as Sarah Hernandez knocked home a cross from Allison Whitfield.
Gaffney, a rookie keeper from Danville, Ky., made a career-best three saves in the match against the Cardinals' 18 shots.
Despite the final score, Eagles' head coach Warren Lipka was pleased with his team's effort from start to finish.
Morehead State falls to 0-2 overall while Louisville now sits a 2-0 in the 2019 season.
The Eagles return home on Sept. 1, for a matchup with Akron at 2:00 p.m. ET. Morehead State defeated the Zips on the road by a 2-1 tally in the season-opening match of 2018.