SUNDAY'S SCORES
SIUE 4, @Tennessee Tech 3 (OT)
UT Martin 1, @Austin Peay 0
Cincinnati 2,
@Murray State 1
@Eastern Illinois 1, Morehead State 1
Belmont 1, @Southeast Misouri 0 (2OT)
SIUE 4, TENNESSEE TECH 3
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Offense proved to be aplenty in the OVC opener for the Tennessee Tech soccer team, but when the dust finally settled, the Golden Eagles fell 4-3 in overtime to the defending OVC champion SIUE in Sunday's seesaw type of affair at Tech Soccer Field.
Mackenzie Litzsinger scored less than a minute into the extra session to conclude the captivating contest in what was the reigning OVC Forward of the Year's second score of the tilt. The SIUE red-shirt sophomore now leads the conference with five goals.
Litzsinger's heroics capped off a combined seven-goal output for both sides, the highest-scoring match Tech been a part of in over two calendar years. The Golden Eagles (1-4-1, 0-1-0 OVC), who had just one goal in the first five matches of the spring, found the back of the net three times for the most goals in a contest TTU has scored since a 3-0 win over Murray State on Oct. 11, 2019.
Trailing 2-0 after SIUE (4-4-0, 1-0-0 OVC) scored twice in the span of 75 seconds from the 15th-17th minutes, the Golden Eagles responded with three consecutive scores to take the narrow edge. Meredith Nye started the purple and gold scoring brigade with her second career goal in the 25th minute, capitalizing on a loose ball in front of the net before rocketing it in between the pipes to cut the deficit to 2-1.
Still down a goal early in the second half, Tech exploded for a pair of scores in the span of only 65 seconds to take the lead. Bailey Taylor played a pivotal role in the TTU attack, first drilling a shot of SIUE's Andrea Vollmer that went into the back of the net for a Cougar own goal that squared the score in the 56th minute. Taylor then illuminated the back of the net moments later with the go-ahead net-finder in the 57th minute.
The Powell, Tenn. product took advantage of a Gabby Garcia pass that led her to a clean look right in front of the net and Taylor finished it off with the drive that pushed Tech on top for her seventh-career goal. Garcia was credited with her first assist of the season.
Tech's lead would prove to be short lived after SIUE knotted the affair minutes later on a Lily Schnieders drive off a feed from Litzsinger in the 61st minute. Litzsinger's assist helped lead her to a five-point showing after wrapping up the match early in overtime.
SIUE led 27-5 in the shots department, including 11-2 in shots on-goal. Litzsinger's five tries were the most in the match, while Chloe Smith's two attempts paced the purple and gold. Tech goalkeeper Isabelle Austin secured seven saves and SIUE's Jensen Schoch did not make a stop throughout the course of the contest.
UT MARTIN 1, AUSTIN PEAY 0
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - One goal nearly four and a half minutes in was all that the University of Tennessee at Martin soccer team needed to snatch a road victory in the Ohio Valley Conference curtain-jerker on Sunday afternoon, blanking Austin Peay for the fourth year in a row to tally their fifth overall win on the 2021 fall season. Extending their winning streak in the in-state series to a quartet by a combined margin of 10-0, the Skyhawks put an end to a two-game slide of scoreless outcomes to dish that same result onto their opponent thanks to the leg of sophomore Emely van der Vliet less than five minutes into proceedings.
Impeding the Governors to just a single shot attempt over the entire second half on their way to a third shutout on the semester, UTM and head coach Phil McNamara captured a W in the first OVC contest for the second consecutive campaign, earning their 14th all-time win over Austin Peay dating back to 2002.
When taking a peek at the final box score, the deficit in total shots reads in favor of the navy and orange at 13-4, although the only one that mattered in the ending tally was the first of the day from van der Vliet at the 4:24 stamp, receiving a dime from defender Maria Castaldo for her second career assist in three seasons. Accounting for goal # 13 on the year for the Skyhawks, the Netherlands native found the back of the net for the 10th time in her 20th appearance, leaving UT Martin with more than enough room to ride out the win from there thanks to its regularly-stingy back line.
Only allowing the Governors one shot-on-goal opportunity that was snuffed from graduate keeper Erica Myers – the only save needed from the program's all-time leader in matches played – the Skyhawks all but ensured themselves a 1-0 start in conference competition by keeping the AP defense on their toes the rest of the way.
Austin Peay goalie Peyton Powell stayed busy on Sunday with seven saves to her personal total as UTM stayed on the attack while holding the one-score advantage. On the opposite side of the coin, Myers needed just the one stop to prevent the Governors from evening the score, her 36th save on the year to bring the fifth-year player's career accumulation up to 298.
Four different Skyhawks landed at least a pair of shots in the wire-to-wire victory, with Makayla Robinson, Jill Hildreth, Izzy Patterson, and Brooke Kala all increasing the pressure on the Governors' defensive unit as the match progressed. While AP didn't allow UTM to add to their one-score lead, the early breakthrough was the answer that the visitors needed to leave Clarksville with their first conference win in as many tries.
Grabbing her 35th career win when making the start in the net, Myers now stands just one shutout away from tying the program record for most instances holding the other side to a zero on the scoreboard, representing the 20th such occasion (one behind Mariah Klenke from 2011-14). Earlier this fall, the Skyhawks stymied Southern Illinois and Little Rock in similar outcomes.
Austin Peay's senior goalkeeper Peyton Powell made a career-high tying seven saves.
CINCINNATI 2, MURRAY STATE 1
MURRAY, Ky. - In their final nonconference game this season, the Murray State Women’s Soccer team fell 2-1 to Cincinnati on Sunday afternoon at Cutchin Field in Murray, Kentucky. The normal 90 minutes was not enough to settle the match as the game would go into two overtimes before the Bearcats were able to net the golden goal in the 108th minute.
Cincinnati would go up in the first half on a 34th minute goal by Camryn Hartman. The Bearcats and Racers would trade shots in a great back and forth for the next 50 minutes of the match until Racers sophomore striker Chloe Barnthouse would score an incredible goal after dribbling the ball nearly the length of the field.
The goal was Barthouse’s third on the season, tying her for the team lead and bringing her season point total to seven. Defending OVC Offensive Player of the Week Rebecca Kubin was also able to fire two shots on goal in the game.
Goalkeeper Jenna Villacres had four saves against 10 total shots in 108 minutes in the net on the day.
The Racers will begin OVC play on Thursday (Sep. 30) when they host Southeast Missouri at Cutchin Field at 3 pm.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 1, MOREHEAD STATE 1
CHARLESTON, Ill. - For the second straight game, 110 minutes could not separate the Eagles from their opponents, as Morehead State and Eastern Illinois opened the OVC season with a 1-1 draw.
The draw moves the Eagles to 2-5-3 on the season and 0-0-1 in league play, but does give Morehead State their best start in OVC play since 2014.
In what was expected to be a defensive battle between two struggling offenses, both teams put up a season high number of shot attempts, with the Eagles outshooting the Panthers 23-20. The 23 shots was the most from Morehead State since a 40 shot performance against Francis Marion (S.C.) in September of 2015.
Both goaltenders however, who are first and second respectively in the OVC in shutouts, turned in strong performances to keep the game even, with junior Michelle Jerantowski notching another eight saves to continue her impressive season in net.
Head coach Warren Lipka was pleased with his team's effort and the result in a hard fought match. "It was a great game. The goalkeepers on both sides kept their team in it, and it's always good to get points on the road."
The Eagles opened the game with an offensive flurry primarily from Nicole Fiantaco, as the sophomore had a chance off a corner kick in the ninth minute and back-to-back shots in the 16th and 17th minutes. Nevertheless, it would be the Panthers who struck first, scoring in the 38th minute and snapping what was a 214-minute scoreless streak from Morehead State.
After dueling offensive chances were stopped by each team's goaltenders, the Eagles finally broke through with the equalizer in the 62nd minute on Katie Kiolbassa's third goal of the season, which was assisted by Jenna Setters in what was her first career point.
Morehead State kept the pressure on in the 79th minute when a throw in set piece resulted in two shots from Kiolbassa and one from Libby Van Wagen, but all of the close range opportunities were blocked or saved.
However, the best opportunity for the Eagles to end the game in regulation came from a barrage in the 85th minute that saw four shots, including both Avery Redmon and Abby Vanhoeve clanging shots off the crossbar. The Panthers had their own dangerous chance in the 90th minute, when a corner kick resulted in their own shot off the crossbar, sending the match to overtime.
The strong defenses from both teams were on display in the overtime periods, limiting opportunities on both sides, but even then it took a Jerantowski save in the 109th minute and a Colleen Swift shot being stopped as time expired to bring the match to a draw.
BELMONT 1, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 0
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Southeast Missouri women's soccer (3-6-0, 0-1-0 OVC) dropped its 2021 Ohio Valley Conference opener to Belmont (4-4-1, 1-0-0 OVC), 1-0, in double overtime Sunday afternoon at Houck Field.
Maci Pekmezian registered the golden goal in the 103rd minute to conclude the match and provide the Bruins the win. Pekmezian converted a feed from Summer Curtis.
SEMO and Belmont played to a 0-0 draw through 90 minutes of regulation before needing both overtime periods to settle the contest.
The Bruins outshot the Redhawks, 7-6, after two halves before recording shots in both overtimes.
Shots on goal concluded tied at 6-6 Sunday.
Andrea Leitner made six saves in net for Belmont to earn the win.
Bailey Redden, the reigning OVC Goalkeeper of the Week, notched five saves before letting up the game-winner in the second overtime.
Corners finished knotted at 4-4.
Katelyn Miller paced the Redhawks with two shots on goal, competing in 70 minutes as a substitution.
Lauren Welker, Abby Tremain, Natalie Jackson and Morgan McCourt each had shots on goal in the game.
McCourt had a great opportunity in the 88th minute but Leitner tipped the ball over the net.
Anna Sweeney, Erin Patterson and Summer each had two shots in the OVC clash.
Welker, Brune and Jackson each competed in the full 102 minutes of regulation.
Brune, a sophomore from Cape Girardeau, Missouri, extended her streak of playing every minute of regulation to 21-straight games dating back to this past spring's 2020-21 season.
Jackson has played in every minute of the last three games for SEMO. For Welker, it was her second consecutive game, not leaving the pitch.