THURSDAY'S SCORES
@Murray State 6, Missouri State 1
Indiana State 3,
@Eastern Illinois 1
@Morehead State 2, North Alabama 0
@UT Martin 2, Southern Illinois 0
@Vanderbilt 1,
Tennessee Tech 0 (1)
@Western Kentucky 2,
Austin Peay 0
@Memphis 4,
Southeast Missouri 0
MURRAY STATE 6, MISSOURI STATE 1
MURRAY, Ky. - The Murray State soccer team began their 2021 campaign off with a forceful 6-1 victory over the Missouri State Bears on Thursday (Aug. 19) afternoon at Cutchin Field in Murray, Kentucky.
After going down 1-0 in the 12th minute of the match, the Racers stormed back in a big way in the second half. Abby Jones got the flurry of scoring started for the Racers in the 46th minute of the match. Within the next 14 minutes of the match, the Racers would score four more goals.
Chloe Barnthouse continued to show she is an elite striker with a goal today on an assist from Jones in the 54th minute following her team high seven goals from last season.
Freshman defender Morgan Bodker scored the first goal of her young career in the 56th minute with an assist from Hailey Cole to give Murray State a 3-1 lead.
Jones would then go on a scoring frenzy with a goal in the 59th on an assist from Barnthouse. The senior from Powell, Ohio, Jones would complete her first career hat trick in the 60th minute of the match with an assist coming from Saraya Young.
Sophomore Audrey Brumfield would cap off the scoring for the Racers in the 74th minute with the first goal of her career on an assist from Riley Johnson.
Jones’ hat trick is the first for Murray State soccer since just last season when Chloe Barnthouse tallied one against Eastern Illinois.
The Racers six goals are the most by a team under Coach Matt Lodge and the most goals scored in a Murray State match since 2011 when they scored six goals against Alabama A&M.
The next match for the Racers will be at Cutchin Field on Sunday (Aug. 22) at 1 pm against the Bulldogs from Louisiana Tech.
INDIANA STATE 3, EASTERN ILLINOIS 1
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Indiana State took a two goal lead just over three minutes into the second half and had that lead stand up as the Sycamores slid past Eastern Illinois in the regular season opener for both schools.
Katie Yankey scored the first goal of the match in the seventh minute as she redirected a ball right at the mouth of the goal. The assist was by Sasha Thompson, one of two Thompson had on the day.
That would be the only shot on goal in the first half for Indiana State as EIU had four total shots in the period but none were on target.
Audrey Stephens pushed the ISU lead out to 2-0 in the 48th minute as she redirected a cross into the box by Thompson.
EIU would counter in the 63rd minute with Zenaya Barnes striking home a shot to the upper right corner of the goal. Nicoletta Anuci assisted on the goal.
ISU tacked on an insurance goal just three minutes later as Chole Tesny fired a low skidding shot that just beat the EIU keeper.
Eva Munoz added two shots on goal for the Panthers as EIU had nine total shots in the match.
EIU returns to action on Sunday hosting Illinois Springfield at 1 p.m.
MOREHEAD STATE 2, NORTH ALABAMA 0
MOREHEAD, Ky. - It took a little more than 80 minutes, but the Morehead State soccer team finally reaped the benefit of its offensive attack Thursday night and then added a penalty kick goal in the final minute as the Eagles won their 2021 season, and home, opener 2-0 against visiting North Alabama.
The Eagle program won its home opener for the first time since the 2016 season, while it marked the first-ever meeting between the Eagles and Lions.
Junior Abby VanHoeve netted her first career goal at the 80:08 mark in the final half. Following a corner kick from junior Colleen Swift that landed on the far side of the box, sophomore Sarah Faloon was credited with her first career assist, getting a touch to VanHoeve.
North Alabama appeared to tie the match minutes later, but the goal was immediately wiped away due to a foul by the Lions behind the play.
Wth just 31 seconds remaining, a tackle foul in the box created a penalty kick chance for Swift, who smashed it past UNA keeper Payton Yates for the final margin. Swift recorded her sixth career goal after leading the Eagles with two in the spring season.
Morehead State out-shot UNA 13-6, with eight being on net. Goalkeeper Michelle Jerantowski, who transferred in from Jacksonville prior to last season, collected her second individual shutout, stopping four Lion attempts. She finished the spring season with the third-best single-season goals against average in program history at 1.15.
The Eagles also kept the pressure on by generating eight corner kicks to the Lions' pair.
Morehead State continues its 2021 season on Sunday at Purdue-Fort Wayne at 1 p.m. ET.
UT MARTIN 2, SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 0
MARTIN, Tenn. - Sending an affirmative message that the 2021 edition of the University of Tennessee at Martin soccer team boasts a powerful arsenal, the Skyhawks dominated third-year program Southern Illinois throughout Thursday night's season-opening duel, highlighted by the first collegiate goal from true freshman Makayla Robinson and the fifth career score from fifth-year senior Jaden Hildreth, capping off a 2-0 shutout over the Salukis.
While the UTM offense ran away with the contest over the final period of the opener, the highly-touted Skyhawk back four was as convincing as advertised, limiting SIU to a mere two shot attempts to give their own side an 11-shot cushion. Furthermore, graduate keeper Erica Myers continued her ascent towards the peak of the UT Martin record books with her 18th career shutout and 31st total victory, now standing just three shutouts away from tying the highest marker in the program's 23-year history.
Capturing a W in the first outing of the schedule for the second year in a row, UTM needed a bit of time to reassemble themselves following three grueling exhibitions that signaled the end of an ultra-short offseason, unable to break through with a goal in any of their six shot attempts over the course of the first stanza.
Luckily, the Skyhawk defense was practically impenetrable, producing an almost-flawless performance that featured zero shots given up until the 87:31 mark on a free kick opportunity for Southern Illinois. The Salukis' offensive frustrations eventually gave way to a 2-0 deficit once Robinson and Hildreth lit up the scoreboard, concluding UTM's stellar showing in the first of 16 regular season meetings this fall.
UT Martin's persistence on the attack was at last rewarded in the 59th minute on Thursday when midfielder Izzy Patterson connected with classmate Robinson on a freshman-to-freshman sequence that cemented the team's eighth look at the net as the first one to hit the jackpot.
Fast forward 17 minutes, and Hildreth took on the Saluki defense unimpeded with a solo score from the left side of the stanchion to boost the lead to a commanding 2-0. The successful boot from the Germantown, Tenn. product marked the senior's first goal since the 2018 campaign and effectively put the finishing touches on the squad's third shutout in the past six contests dating back to the spring.
10 different UTM players gathered at least one shot try in the one-sided affair, while SIU's Kaitlin DuCharme was the only visitor to come within a chance of a score, doing so twice in the game's final two and a half minutes. Maddy Alaluf took the loss at goalie for the Salukis, registering a single save.
Now off to a racing start for the 2021 season, the Skyhawks now face a three-game road stretch that starts at the tail end of the weekend with a trip to Little Rock, Arkansas to battle the Trojans on Sunday afternoon. After posting a 4-7-3 record earlier this spring, the Trojans disposed of in-state foe Arkansas-Pine Bluff in a similar manner to that of UT Martin's first win, completing a 3-0 shutout on a high-octane 31 shot attempts.
The Skyhawks' second of eight non-conference scuffles will kick off at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, where live-streamed coverage of the event can be found via ESPN+.
VANDERBILT 1, TENNESSEE TECH 0
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - A hard-fought, scoreless war for more than 96 minutes between regulation and a first overtime session went in favor of the home team Thursday evening, as No. 18 nationally-ranked Vanderbilt (1-0-0) found the back of the net in extra time to defeat the Tennessee Tech soccer team (0-0-1) 1-0 in the season opener for both squads.
The Commodores' Abi Brighton ended the nil-nil tie in the 97th minute of the night, with a goal in the upper left corner of the net off a helper from Sophia Gorski.
The Golden Eagle defense was particularly stingy all night, turning away a robust Vanderbilt attack repeatedly that saw the home squad rack up 21 shots with 11 on goal. The purple and gold were once again led in net by reigning Ohio Valley Conference Goalkeeper of the Year Isabelle Austin, who looked just as strong as ever on Thursday.
The returning senior racked up nine saves in Nashville, including five stops in the first half and four more in the second stanza. The Tech defense also turned away a shot-on-goal from the Commodores as a team. Defenders Sarah Block, Macy Carter, and Selma Askildsen all played their fair share in the strong defensive showing, playing all 97 minutes of the contest.
Emily Carlevato put Tech's first shot-on-goal of the season in the 17th minute, with Vanderbilt's netminder Kate Devine making the stop. Devine also stopped the second Golden Eagle try on target, this one from Taylor Hornback in the 40th minute.
The purple and gold will return to Cookeville and the comfort of Tech Soccer Field for its home opener on Sunday, Aug. 22 against Liberty. First kick is set for a 1:00 p.m. CT start.
WESTERN KENTUCKY 2, AUSTIN PEAY 0
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - Austin Peay State University goalkeeper Peyton Powell made six saves, but the Governors were unable to overcome a pair of second-half goals and dropped a 2-0 season-opening decision to Western Kentucky, Thursday, at the WKU Soccer Complex.
In the first match of the 20th season of Austin Peay (0-1-0) soccer, Powell made five saves in the first half to help keep the match tied, 0-0, after 45 minutes. The final of Powell's first-half saves came in the 35th minute when she stopped a Lyric Schmidt penalty shot to keep Western Kentucky (1-0-0) off the scoreboard.
The Governors also took a pair of shots in the first half, but neither was on target, with freshman Alec Baumgardt missing wide left in the 19th minute and fifth-year senior Claire Larose missing wide right in the 38th minute.
The Lady Hilltoppers broke through in the second half with goals from Katie Erwin and Annah Hopkins in the 51st and 55th minutes, respectively. After the pair of Western Kentucky goals, the Govs blocked three Lady Hilltopper shots before Powell made her sixth and final save of the night in the 83rd minute.
Austin Peay makes the quick trip to Nashville for a 1 p.m., Sunday contest against Lipscomb. The Govs then play their home opener when they welcome Kansas State for a 7 p.m., Aug. 27 match at Morgan Bros. Soccer Field.
MEMPHIS 4, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 0
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Southeast Missouri women's soccer (0-0-1) dropped a 4-0 decision to Memphis Thursday evening at the Billy J. Murphy Soccer/Track & Field Complex to open the Redhawks' 2021 campaign.
Saorla Miller netted a hat trick to lead the Tigers past SEMO. Memphis outshot the Redhawks, 16-1, with 10 shots on target.
Miller provided the Tigers an early 1-0 lead in the 10th minute of regulation. She also scored in the 23rd and 61st minutes during Thursday's game.
Miller paced the Tigers with five shots including four on the mark.
Jocelyn Alonzo increased the Memphis lead to 2-0, just over four minutes after Miller's first strike at 13:06.
The Tigers went to the break with a 3-0 advantage on the scoreboard and outshot SEMO, 9-1, in the first half with six shots on goal.
Emma Tucker's shot at 35:16 was blocked.
Bailey Redden made four saves in the season opener. Elizabeth Moberg and Claire Wyville combined for the shutout.
Emma Brune paced all field players, playing all 90 minutes of Thursday's opener. Brune, a sophomore from Cape Girardeau, Missouri, has now started and played in 13-straight games dating back to this past spring's 2020-21 season.
Kate Daus played in 74 minutes followed by Lauren Welker (73) and Abby Tremain (71).
Zoey Memmel, Grace Crowden, Tucker, Emma Rater, Katelyn Miller and Natalie Miller all made their SEMO debuts Thursday. Memmel appeared in the starting 11. Crowden led the newcomers with 68 minutes on the pitch.
Gabby Gscheidmeier also made her first career start as a Redhawk.
Welker was assessed a yellow card at 21:19.
Memphis earned seven corner kicks compared to SEMO's two.
The game was delayed 74 minutes due to inclement weather in the Memphis area.
SEMO will next host Maryville in the Redhawks regular-season home opener Sunday at Houck Field. First kick is scheduled for 6 p.m., CT.