THURSDAY'S SCORES
Southeast Missouri 2, @Eastern Illinois 1
@Little Rock 2, UT Martin 1
Tennessee Tech 4, @Southern Indiana 0
SIUE 2, @Lindenwood 1
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 2, EASTERN ILLINOIS 1
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Eastern Illinois was able to cut a Southeast Missouri second half lead in half but unable to get the equalizer in the final minutes as EIU lost on Thursday afternoon 2-1 to wrap up a three-match homestand at Lakeside Field.
EIU fell to 2-4-4 on the season, 0-2 in the OVC. SEMO improved to 5-5 on the year, 1-1 in the OVC.
On a windy day at Lakeside Field, SEMO played with the wind to their back in the opening 45 minutes and was able to capitalize with Cayla Koerner scoring in the 14th minute to put the Redhawks up 1-0. Emma Brune drove the ball deep into the EIU defense and connected with Koerner who finished off the score.
SEMO would extend its lead to 2-0 in the 52nd minute when they pushed the attack and Alayna Jakul finished off a corner kick for the second Redhawks goal. The assist came from Faith Liljegren. Jakul would have one more scoring chance late in the second half when her shot hit the cross bar.
EIU was finally able to break through in the 74th minute when Cam Korhorn was fed a pass by Jenna Little and beat the goalkeeper to cut the margin in half.
The Panthers would continue to apply pressure finishing with four total shots on goal in the match. Michaela Danyo had two shots on goal off the bench while Serra Pizano added another.
Jenna Little had three of EIU's total shots in the match while also picking up the assist on Korhorn's goal.
LITTLE ROCK 2, UT MARTIN 1
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Forwards Bronte Peel and Jessie Vaden each registered their first goal of the season on Thursday evening as Little Rock (4-4-2) triumphed over the visiting Skyhawks of UT Martin (2-5-2) at the Coleman Sports Complex.
The scoring began quickly as the Trojans took an early lead in the third minute of the match. After the Skyhawks goalkeeper misplayed a pass from a teammate, Vaden took advantage on an open net opportunity which led to an easy goal.
However, UT Martin would not go down without a fight. A corner kick for the Skyhawks followed by a clearing attempt allowed midfielder Brooke Kala to corral a loose ball and score the equalizer in the 14th minute.
Little Rock would break the stalemate in the 86th minute. Fifth-year defender Natalee Geren lined up for a free kick near midfield and delivered a well-placed pass into the box. Peel answered the bell with a header that found its way past the Skyhawk defenders and into the back of the net, giving the Trojans the lead for good.
The Trojan defense was on a mission in the second half of the match. UT Martin was unable to get a shot off in the final 45 minutes of the competition. Little Rock also held the corner kick advantage throughout the game, finishing with seven total while the Skyhawks mustered just two.
This victory is the first for any Little Rock program in conference play since joining the OVC on July 1 of this year. The Trojans have repeatedly shown that the Coleman Sports Complex is a tough place for opponents to come play, with this win Little Rock now has a record of 3-1-1 in the Capital City.
TENNESSEE TECH 4, SOUTHERN INDIANA 0
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - University of Southern Indiana Women's Soccer faced a tough Tennessee Tech University team Thursday night, as the Golden Eagles came away with a 4-0 road result to spoil the home match for the USI Screaming Eagles.
Tennessee Tech set a high-paced tempo early and was aggressive going toward the goal. The Golden Eagles tested USI's defense with three early shots and aerial crosses. USI's senior goalkeeper Maya Etienne (Midland, Michigan) came off her line to make two good punch aways to clear the ball out of danger.
The Golden Eagles grabbed a 1-0 lead over Southern Indiana in the 29th minute, as senior forward Chloe Smith finished for her fourth goal of the season on a slotted pass along the end line.
One of Southern Indiana's best chances in the first half came with just over five minutes to play until halftime. After a long throw-in by freshman midfielder Emma Thurston (Leawood, Kansas), the Tennessee Tech defense struggled to clear the ball out of their defensive box. The ball ended up at the feet of sophomore midfielder Adriana Berruti (Berwyn, Illinois), who played the ball back to freshman midfielder Peyton Murphy (Bargersville, Indiana). Murphy took the one-time shot but was saved by sophomore goalkeeper Maggie Conrad for Tennessee Tech.
Tennessee Tech took the 1-0 lead into halftime. At the break, Tennessee Tech outshot Southern Indiana 6-1, including 3-1 in shots on goal.
After an early push by the Screaming Eagles to start the second half, Tennessee Tech scored their second goal of the match in the 55th minute. Freshman forward Katie Toney picked up her second assist of the contest, as she sent a low cross near the end line that was put into the goal by freshman midfielder Allison Lee.
Tennessee Tech added their third goal in the 71st minute by senior defender Emily Carlevato, taking advantage of a missed clearance in USI's defensive box and finishing inside the near post. Junior forward Gabby Garcia scored the fourth goal in the 81st minute.
Overall, Tennessee Tech finished with 15 shots – six on goal – compared to four shots and two on goal for Southern Indiana. The Golden Eagles had 14 corner kicks and the Screaming Eagles had two.
Individually, USI's shots on goal came from junior forward Morgan Beyer (Rossford, Ohio) and by Murphy. Etienne had two saves in 75 minutes played, bringing her within six saves of fourth all-time on USI's career saves list. Sophomore goalkeeper Zoe Lintner (Wildwood, Missouri) played the last 15 minutes in goal for USI.
In the young Ohio Valley Conference season, Tennessee Tech stands at the top of the standings table with two wins and six points, while Southern Indiana is still in search of their first OVC result.
SIUE 2, LINDENWOOD 1
ST. CHARLES, Mo. - Taylor Dolt provided the game-winning goal Thursday as SIUE women's soccer won its second straight Ohio Valley Conference road contest in a 2-1 victory at Lindenwood.
Dolt scored at 51:18 unassisted as SIUE improved to 3-4-2 overall and 2-0 in the OVC. Lindenwood dropped to 1-1 in the OVC and 4-6-1 overall.
Dolt's goal came as SIUE heavily pressured the Lions in the final third. When Kasey Neidhardt and a Lindenwood defender battled for the ball, the end result came out to Dolt, who one-timed her first goal of the season.
Lily Schnieders opened up the game's scoring for SIUE in the first half, taking a pass from Sidney Christopher. It was Christopher's team-leading third assist of the season. Schnieders scored her second goal of the season at the 6:32 mark of the first half.
SIUE's quick start was negated with just more than four minutes left in the first half when Faith Montandon scored unassisted.
The Cougars dominated play and bested their season-high in shots with 20. Dolt led the Cougars with five shots while Schnieders added three. Twelve different players took a shot against Lindenwood goalkeeper Sam Blazek.
Taylor Spiller earned the win in goal for the Cougars. She had one save.