THURSDAY'S SCORES
UT Martin 1, @Indiana State 1
Illinois State 1,
@Eastern Illinois 0
Western Illinois 3, @Green Bay 1
Little Rock 4, @Arkansas-Pine Bluff 0
@Morehead State 1, Bellarmine 1
@UAB 1,
Tennessee Tech 0
@Missouri State 2,
Lindenwood 0
@Southern Indiana 2, Austin Peay 0
UT MARTIN 1, INDIANA STATE 1
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - In a defensive gridlock, the University of Tennessee at Martin soccer team finished with a 1-1 draw against Indiana State.
UT Martin won in the shots column with 10 total attempts, compared to Indiana State’s eight. The Skyhawks also found an advantage in corner kicks on the afternoon with five against the Sycamores’ three.
Both sides were scoreless throughout the first 39 minutes of the match until UT Martin forward Caroline Moore sniped in her first goal as a Skyhawk. That score gave the orange and blue a lead they would hold for the remainder of the half.
Out of the break, Indiana State would quickly generate the equalizer in the 48th minute off the foot of Adelaide Wolfe.
The remaining 42 minutes at Memorial Stadium would see stout defense from both squads. Poppy Bastock would entrap two more shots on goal to finish her performance with five saves.
Moore fired off a team-high three shots on the day (two on goal) while Makayla Robinson and Allie Buchmann each collected two shots apiece. Seven UT Martin players logged the full 90 minutes of playing time on the pitch, including Bastock, Izzy Patterson, Joelle Stinson, Catey Hunt, Gwen Walters, Buchmann and Shayla Addington.
ILLINOIS STATE 1, EASTERN ILLINOIS 0
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Eastern Illinois women's soccer ended the afternoon with a 1-0 loss in the in-state match against Illinois State. The Panthers are now 1-3-2 on the season while the Redbirds moved to a 1-3-1 overall record.
The match started with both teams going strong on offense. In the 2nd minute, Avery Richardson had the first opportunity for the Panthers with an off header. Three minutes later, the Redbirds found the only goal of the match off a freekick with Julia Liguore. The Panthers then kept good possession of the ball in the look for the equalizing goal, but were unable to transform the possession into scoring opportunities. In the 33rd minute, Ava Hensley forced their goalkeeper to save what would be EIU's only shot on target.
In the second half, EIU kept looking for scoring opportunities while showing good organization defensively to hold off the counters that the Redbirds offered. The Panthers ended the match with five shots.
Goalkeeper Ashlyn Hoover made two saves in the first half while Ella Kratochvil added another three in the second half as the Panthers rotated goalkeepers at halftime.
WESTERN ILLINOIS 3, GREEN BAY 1
GREEN BAY, Wis. - Western got the win they needed on Thursday in a match with Green Bay. The Leathernecks won 3-1, with a great effort from freshman Alanna Pennington, who scored 2 goals in the win.
Western started off the match hot, as in the 10th minute Pennington dribbled through multiple Phoenix defenders, then slotted a ball in to Hana Daoudi, whose shot was saved by Green Bay. 2 minutes later, the Leathernecks started great link-up play down the right side, as Sarah De Gannes whipped a ball into Sachiko Gamo, who was able to find Pennington who calmly slotted the ball into the back of the net. This was the first goal the Leathernecks had scored since their 1-0 win at Chicago State on August 20.
The Leathernecks were able to keep continuous pressure on Green Bay in the first half, as they recorded 7 shots, with 6 being on target. In the 33rd minute, Pennington got her second goal of the game, this one thanks to Kayla Turner, whose dribbling and pass in set up the freshman, who fired in from point-blank range. 2-0 would be the score going into halftime.
In the second half, the Phoenix were more eager to attack, as they recorded 7 shots. They got their first goal of the game when Zoey Pagels scored in the 53rd minute, cutting the lead in half. Western would fend off Green Bay's attackers, as they were able to get into the box many times, but wouldn't score again. It was the Leathernecks who would have the last laugh as freshman Kelsi McThenia capitalized on a goalkeeper error to bring the Leathernecks' lead back to 2, where it would stay for the final 7 minutes of the match.
This is the Leathernecks first home win of the season, as they improve to 2-3-1 with conference play looming in the distance.
LITTLE ROCK 4, ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF 0
PINE BLUFF, Ark. - After drawing their last four games, Little Rock headed to Pine Bluff with hopes of securing their first win of the year.
Neither side established themselves on the front foot early, with multiple giveaways from both teams. After an open first 15 minutes, the Trojans began to grow into the contest. They created chance after chance, and eventually got their breakthrough in the 25th minute, when Karina De Paoli scored her first goal of the season from an Abbie Smith cross.
Little Rock continued to create and got help from positive first half performances from substitutes Cameron Barreiro and Addison Yinger. The Trojans entered the half having out shot UAPB 10-2, but only led by a goal.
Not long before the hour mark, Little Rock doubled their advantage. Freshman midfielder Kaitlin Graeber, who was poised and calm on the ball all afternoon, beat the Pine Bluff fullback down the right wing and whipped in a cross which found the head of Emily Jensen, resulting in the Trojans 2nd goal.
Karina De Paoli grabbed her second goal of the game in the 80th minute, when she fired in a rocket to the back post from a step outside of the box. Not a full minute later, Addison Yinger, grabbed Little Rock's 4th goal, and put the game to bed.
OVC Goalkeeper of the week Marie Cimatti combined once more with Sophomore Peyton Urban to keep a clean sheet, their 2nd shutout of the year.
MOREHEAD STATE 1, BELLARMINE 1
MOREHEAD, Ky. - Sixth-year midfielder Colleen Swift scored one of the fastest goals in program history Thursday night at home against Bellarmine, netting her 12th career goal just 57 seconds in. But, the Knights got the equalizer on a penalty kick, and the teams ended in a 1-1 deadlock at the MSU Soccer Field.
The Eagles moved to 1-3-2, while the visitors are now 3-1-2. It was the first-ever meeting between the two squads.
Swift took advantage of a botched corner-kick play by Knights' keeper Cambria Kingman. Less than a minute off the clock, Swift was in the right place to send an uncontested shot to the back of the net. Kingman tried the corral the corner kick, but could not handle the ball cleanly.
The Eagles held the lead until the 58th minute when the home squad was whistled for a takedown in the box. Bellarmine's Alexa Orozco beat MSU goalkeeper Erin Gibbs with a center-cut shot and the tie match 1-1.
Morehead State was out-shot 10-8, but the Eagle defense held the Knights to only one true shot (which was on goal) in the second half. MSU finished with a team-high three shots from from fifth-year Nicole Fiantaco. Swift had two, both on goal.
Gibbs concluded with a solid seven-save stat sheet.
UAB 1, TENNESSEE TECH 0
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - A dramatic score in the waning moments of regulation sunk the Tennessee Tech soccer team's chances at its first shutout of the season and ultimately sent the Golden Eagles to a 1-0 loss at UAB Thursday evening.
Scoreless into the 87th minute, Morgan Halliwill broke the deadlock with her second goal of the season, splitting the pipes on a header to help propel the Blazers (4-2-1) to a now five-match unbeaten streak following an 0-2 start to the year. Hannah Clark started the dramatics with a lengthy cross into the box that connected with Halliwill's lid and into the back of the net.
The go-ahead goal was part of a 17-shot attack for the home side that saw the Tech defense stand up to the task of turning away attempt after attempt in a bid at the club's first clean sheet of 2023. After being outpaced 8-0 in the first stanza, the Golden Eagles (0-4-2) were outshot 9-4 in the second half.
Katie Toney led Tech with two tries in the tilt, while Yao Giada Zhou and Bailey Taylor were responsible for the other two shots for the purple and gold. Taylor's take was Tech's lone shot on-goal, with UAB holding a 10-1 shot on-frame discrepancy overall.
The Blazer offense, who came into Thursday's tangle having scored eight goals over their last four matches, forced Maggie Conrad into a career-high tying eight saves. The 5-foot-7 junior made a series of key stops, before UAB connected on the winner on the well-executed cross.
Anika Toth picked up the shutout behind one save. Jolie St Louis led the match with five shots and four attempts on-point.
Six Golden Eagles played all 90 minutes, with Selma Askildsen, Macy Carter, Conrad, Sami Cullum, Abigail Davis and Toney all going the distance.
MISSOURI STATE 2, LINDENWOOD 0
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - On Thursday night, the Lindenwood women's soccer team (2-3-1) traveled to Springfield, Mo., to take on the Missouri State Bears (5-0-2). The Lions would fall in this matchup 2-0.
In the first half, the Bears would keep the Lions on their toes, taking ten shots with which seven of them were on net. Lily Sutter had the lone shot for the Lions forcing the Bears goalkeeper to make a save. In the 20th minute of the game the Bears would put one on the board, to lead 1-0. Both teams would remain scoreless to end the half.
In the second half, much like the first, the Bears controlled the offense category, taking seven shots while the Lions had two. Eyglo Thorsteinsdottir had the two lone shots for the Lions in the second half. In the 57th minute the Bears would put in an assisted goal to up the Bears lead to 2-0. The Bears rigid defense would seal the deal and keep the Lions scoreless for the remainder of the game.
Erika Anstine started in net for the Lions making ten saves on two goals against.
SOUTHERN INDIANA 2, AUSTIN PEAY 0
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - University of Southern Indiana Women's Soccer put together another strong performance at home on Thursday night, as the Screaming Eagles were rewarded with a 2-0 victory against Austin Peay State University.
In capturing their first win of the 2023 season, the Screaming Eagles improved to 1-5-1 this season. Austin Peay dropped to 2-4-1 on the campaign.
The match began with a nice pace and flow as both sides battled to control possession. Austin Peay had a few solid attacks into USI's defensive box, but the Screaming Eagles' defense halted the Governors.
Midway in the first half after a USI corner kick, Southern Indiana generated a pair of shooting opportunities that Austin Peay turned away. Right before the 28-minute mark, sophomore midfielder Peyton Murphy (Bargersville, Indiana) and freshman forward Pilar Torres (Chula Vista, California) each had shot attempts stopped by the Governors. Torres had three shots in the first 45 minutes.
In the 39th minute, freshman midfielder Grace Bamber (Chesterton, Indiana) and freshman midfielder Kerigan Kivisto (Collierville, Tennessee) connected on a well-executed give-and-go play that Bamber put away into the net for her first career goal. USI took the 1-0 lead into halftime.
After some back-and-forth play to begin the second stanza, Austin Peay looked to tie the match. Just over 10 minutes into the second half, the Governors had back-to-back shot attempts. USI's defense stepped up to block one while sophomore keeper Anna Markland (Hoover, Alabama) saved the other. In the 74th minute, Markland picked up another save, and the defense blocked another shot on a pair of attempts by Austin Peay.
Southern Indiana doubled its lead to 2-0 in the 81st minute when Torres took a defender one-on-one and finished inside the near post for her second goal of the season. USI maintained control the rest of the way for the win.
USI tallied 11 shots with five on goal, while the Governors totaled five shots with two on target. Besides the goal scored, Torres led Southern Indiana with four shots and two on goal. Senior midfielders Paige Vanek (St. Charles, Missouri) and Avery Schone (Galena, Ohio) also posted a shot on goal. Markland finished with the two saves.