FIRST ROUND SCORES
#5 Lindenwood 2, #8 Southern Indiana 1
#7 UT Martin 1, #6 Little Rock 0
LINDENWOOD 2, SOUTHERN INDIANA 1
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - The Lindenwood women's soccer team (6-8-5, 2-2-4 OVC) defeated Southern Indiana (5-8-4, 1-5-2 OVC) by a score of 2-1 in the opening round of the OVC Championships on Friday afternoon from Cape Girardeau, Mo.
The Lions got on the board early as Lily Sutter pounced on a loose ball in the box 11 minutes in, giving Lindenwood a 1-0 lead. The team defense was strong in the first half, limiting the Screaming Eagles to just three shots, including one on goal in the opening half. The Lions kept up the offensive pressure in the opening half, earning all five corner kicks, but couldn't add on as the score was 1-0 at halftime.
Lindenwood kept up the offensive pressure to begin the second half, which led to an early score. Sutter found Maggie Weller in the middle of the field and Weller doubled the Lindenwood lead. USI kept battling, however as five minutes later, they pulled one back making it 2-1 with 40 minutes left to play. The score remained throughout the second half, as Lindenwood withstood a push from Southern Indiana who had 10 shots in the second half, but only two on goal. The Lions held on for a 2-1 victory
The Lions take on SEMO in the quarterfinals of the OVC Championships, Sunday. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. from Cape Girardeau, Mo.
UT MARTIN 1, LITTLE ROCK 0
MOREHEAD, Ky. - The No. 7 seeded University of Tennessee at Martin soccer team advanced past the first round of the Ohio Valley Conference Soccer Championship after locking down defensively and finding a timely goal by Nyeemah Prescod-Beckles to knock off No. 6 seed Little Rock by a final tally of 1-0.
The Skyhawks (4-9-4) avenged an early season loss in the team's first conference matchup by winning when it mattered most. UT Martin posted an impressive defensive effort by keeping Little Rock off the scoreboard for the team's fifth shutout of the season.
The game remained scoreless in a defensive stalemate through the first 61 minutes of the contest until the Skyhawks broke through midway through the second half. After a few lead passes were for not, Brooke Kala played a perfect ball forward to hit Prescod-Beckles in stride which she then cashed in with a shot to the bottom left corner of the net to take a 1-0 advantage in the 62nd minute.
While the eventual game-winning goal sat alone on the scoreboard, the Skyhawks looked to maintain possession and clear out potential threats down the stretch. The squad found complete efforts from the group of Izzy Patterson, Ryann Mushkin, Catey Hunt, Lynette Hawkins and Shayla Addington who played all 90 minutes of the contest.
Making her OVC Championship debut, freshman goalkeeper Poppy Bastock was impressive between the pipes. Bastock rose to the occasion with five saves for her fourth individual shutout.
Little Rock saw its debut season in the OVC come to a close with a 5-7-5 overall record. The pair of Mari Young and Amaya Arias put pressure on the Skyhawks throughout the night with four shot attempts each while Arias paced the team with two attempts on goal.
UT Martin now advances to take on No. 3 seed and round host Morehead State on Sunday, Oct. 30. Action is scheduled to get underway at Noon CST and will be broadcast on ESPN+.