Ohio Valley Conference

MACOMB, Ill. - The Tennessee Tech soccer team took care of business in its final road match of the regular season behind a 3-1 triumph Sunday afternoon at Western Illinois. The Golden Eagles scored late in the first half and added two more goals in the second to push their way to a crucial victory that sets the stage for a potential third-straight OVC regular-season championship heading into next Sunday's season finale.

Coupled with a Little Rock and Lindenwood draw Sunday afternoon, Tech (5-8-5, 5-2-1 OVC) is now sitting in a tie with Lindenwood for first in the conference thanks to 16 points. The two clubs will face off in Cookeville on Oct. 27 in a winner-take-all scenario for the regular-season league crown and No. 1 seed in the OVC Tournament.

Sunday's win over the Leathernecks (1-13-1, 1-6-1 OVC) saw scores from Allison Lee, Ebba Melin and Katie Toney. Lee's net-finder took place in the 39th minute and unwrapped a scoreless knot that allowed the purple and gold to go into intermission with a 1-0 advantage. The Powell, Tenn. product split the pipes for the second time this season thanks to a Lucia Cuadra corner that initially deflected off of a Leatherneck before banging off the crossbar where Lee was there to head it home on the rebound to give the Golden Eagles the lead.

Tech's second-half attack featured two goals within an eight-minute span, starting with a Melin goal in the 65th minute for the freshman's first-career score. Another Cuadra corner did the trick with her set-piece attempt connecting with Melin's lid and off the right post before soaring into the back of the net to extend TTU's edge to 2-0.

Cuadra's assist would be the first of two in the win after the Barcelona, Spain native set up a Katie Toney goal to conclude Tech's potent attack in the 73rd minute. Cuadra's nifty move on a Leatherneck defender allowed her to enter the box along the left side before her cross ricocheted off another WIU defender and onto the waiting shoe tops of Toney who easily took care of the rest for her seventh goal of the season.

Toney's score was also her fifth goal over the last seven matches, while Cuadra's two-assist showing gives her an OVC-leading seven helpers. All seven assists have occurred over the last seven contests.

Rachel Balinao accounted for the lone Western Illinois goal with a score in the 86th minute, but the Golden Eagles found a way to get to the finish line to cap off the victory and put themselves in a position to win the program's fourth OVC regular-season title.

Toney led all players in the match with three shots. Claire Brown and Ali Matthews paced the WIU attack with two tires apiece. The Golden Eagles led the shots battle, 15-7. Tech surrendered only two shots on-goal.

Maggie Conrad posted one save in the win, while Ariel Bernard collected four saves and allowed all three goals in just about 80 minutes of action. Isabel Navas Rodriguez did not see a shot come her way in over 10 minutes in between the pipes.

UT MARTIN 1, EASTERN ILLINOIS 0
CHARLESTON, Ill. - The University of Tennessee at Martin soccer team willed its way to a 1-0 shutout win against Ohio Valley Conference rival Eastern Illinois at Lakeside Field.
 
Izzy Patterson's free kick goal in the 36th minute proved to be the difference in the match as the Skyhawks (4-9-3, 3-5 OVC) secured their second consecutive shutout victory. Peyton Cook led UT Martin in shots with four (two on goal) while Makayla Robinson (two shots), Nyeemah Prescod-Beckles (two shots, one shot on goal), Abbie McHenry (one shot on goal), Alberte Amby (one shot on goal) and Brooke Kala (one shot) also helped contribute to the offense.
 
Goalkeeper Mac Titus locked down her third shutout of the season by making four saves against 13 shots. Titus played the full match between the pipes along with Shayla Addington, Parker Gelinas, Ella Rucka, Patterson, McHenry and Kala.
 
McHenry and Cook applied pressure on the Panther defense with shots on goal in the first 12-plus minutes.
 
After Titus stopped an Eastern Illinois (5-7-5, 3-3-2 OVC) shot on goal opportunity in the 32nd minute, Patterson came through with the eventual game-winner, finding the back of the net for her career-best fourth goal of the season.
 
Prescod-Beckles managed a shot on goal in the 40th minute before Titus ensured the Skyhawks took a 1-0 lead into the half, snagging a pair of saves in a 25-second span with under five minutes to go before the intermission.
 
Amby came close to a goal in the 72nd minute but the Panthers came away with a team save. Cook added UT Martin's final shot on goal in the 85th minute, which was saved by Eastern Illinois goalkeeper Ella Kratochvil.
 
Eastern Illinois came inches away from scoring the equalizer in the 84th and 90th minutes but Titus stopped the first shot-on-goal try and the Skyhawks notched a team save in the waning moments, bolting down three more points in the conference standings.

MOREHEAD STATE 1, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 0
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Sophomore forward Hedda Ornberg scored in the 19th minute and that lone goal held up as Morehead State came away with a victory over Southeast Missouri on Sunday at Houck Field in Cape Girardeau, Mo., on the Redhawks' Senior Day.

The 1-0 victory guarantees the Eagles a spot in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament in two weeks. MSU is still in the running to earn a top-four seed and either a bye or the right to host a first-round game. The worst-case scenario is a sixth-place finish.

With UT Martin defeating Eastern Illinois and Southern Indiana tying SIUE also on Sunday, Morehead State (7-6-4/4-1-3) moves back into fourth place with 13 points, one ahead of USI and two up on EIU.

Sunday was the Eagles' final road game of the regular season and the club improved to 5-3-3 away from home this fall while also extending its unbeaten streak on the road to three games, which equals its season high. Additionally, it is MSU's most true away victories in a single campaign since going 6-6-1 in 2013, and guarantees it will have at least its first .500 record on the road since that same year. The Blue and Gold's last winning campaign in true road contests came in 2010 (6-4-1).

Ornberg scored at 18:22, with assists from sophomore defender Hannah Burke and senior forward Erin Fite. With nine career assists, Fite takes over ninth place by herself in the school record book.

Morehead State only got off one more shot the rest of the half as Southeast Missouri (1-10-3/1-3-3) held a slim 5-4 lead in the category at the break.

The hosts only had two shots on goal, one 47 seconds into the game and the other 21 seconds after intermission.

The two sides accounted for just five shots in the final 45 minutes.

The shutout is MSU's fifth this season and the third for freshman goaltender Lilly Bailey. It also inches the team closer in its quest to set a school record for fewest goals allowed in a year. The Eagles have allowed 17 this fall, with the 2022 team's mark of 21 as the all-time best (not including the Covid-shortened 2021 spring campaign).

Southeast Missouri finished with an eight to six edge in shots, ending Morehead State's streak of nine consecutive games with double figures in the category.

MSU did tally more corner kicks (6-2), had one more foul (11-10) and a 4-1 difference in offside flags.

Ornberg and Fite combined for all six shots, each taking three. SEMO's Cayla Koerner led all players with four.

Reigning OVC Goalkeeper of the Week Sophia Elfrink finished with three saves for the hosts, while Bailey recorded two.

Graduate student defender Anna Lohrer picked up her fourth yellow card of the season.

MSU held the possession for 52 percent of the afternoon. It had the ball in the Redhawk defensive end for 61 percent of that time. Southeast Missouri spent 56 percent of its possession on the attack.

With the Eagle victory, Southeast Missouri's three-game unbeaten streak was snapped and sent the squad to 1-5-2 at home this fall. It was the ninth time this season the club suffered a shutout.

SEMO continues to lead the all-time series 16-9-7, but the Blue and Gold is now 3-0-1 versus the Redhawks in the last three seasons. Sunday was the Eagles' first victory over Southeast Missouri in Cape Girardeau since November 2011.

LITTLE ROCK 0, LINDENWOOD 0
ST. CHARLES, Mo. - On a beautiful Sunday afternoon, women's soccer (8-4-3, 4-0-3 OVC) faced Little Rock (7-6-3, 4-1-2 OVC), to celebrate senior day. The match would end in a 0-0 tie, while the Lions had a strong offensive showing, but could not find the back of the net.

In the first half, both teams could not find the back of the net, resulting in a 0-0 score after 45 minutes of play. The Lions controlled 57% of possession in the frame. Lindenwood would have the 7-5 advantage in the half in shots, finding three on net. Caroline Ritter made two saves in the first half. Lindenwood held Little Rock to two corner kicks in the first 45 minutes.
 
In the second half, much like the first, both teams could not find paydirt. After 90 minutes of play, the match would end in a 0-0 tie. The Lions outshot the Trojans 18-5 in the second half. The Lions would have seven shots on target in the frame. Ritter would make one save in the half, for a total of three on the day. The Lions held the Trojans to zero corner kicks in the half.
 
After the final whistle, Lindenwood moves to 8-4-4 on the year and 4-0-4 in OVC play, sitting tied for first in the OVC with Tennessee Tech. The Lions controlled 62% of the possession in the entire match.

SOUTHERN INDIANA 1, SIUE 1
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - SIUE celebrated Senior Day Sunday at Korte Stadium and finished with a 1-1 tie against Southern Indiana.

Before the contest, SIUE honored seniors Sidney Christopher, Matea Diekema, Grace Ferguson, Mary Fetter, Kelsey Kehoe, and Kasey Nedihardt.

SIUE would score midway through the first half. Macie Begley connected on her second goal of the season off a corner kick service from MaryClaire Imig at 23:19.

The Cougars would go on to outshoot the Screaming Eagles 16-6 but gave up a late goal at 87:59 to Kamryn Bea.

Neidhardt and Diekema would finish with three shots each. As a team, SIUE hit the crossbar twice.

SIUE's Abby Haskell and USI's Anna Markland received the tie in goal.