COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – After a tough 1-0 loss to Radford last
weekend, the Tennessee Tech soccer team finds itself in the same
position as its next opponent, Alabama State – looking for
its first win of 2009.
“It’s going to be about both teams just looking for
their first win of the season,” said Tennessee Tech coach
Becky Fletcher. “It’s going to come down to which team
can put it together. Alabama State will be excited to be playing in
front of their home crowd for the first time this season, and after
our last match, our girls are excited to get back on the field
too.”
The Golden Eagles will meet the Hornets for the first time in
program history on Sept. 4 in Montgomery, Ala. Tech has an 0-3-0
record through its first three contests, although the team gained
confidence from its 1-0 loss to defending Big South champion
Radford.
“We’ve gotten better every game we’ve
played,” Fletcher said. “The girls are really starting
to click and come together. We’ve improved in area’s
that we’ve needed to, but there is still room for
improvement. “
Alabama State stands at 0-2-0 after a pair of losses last weekend
at The Citadel and Charleston Southern.
After its match up with Alabama State the Golden Eagles will visit
a familiar venue, but face another new opponent. Former Ohio Valley
Conference member Samford will serve as the host as Tech will
square off with Texas State for the first time in program history
in the neutral-site contest.
The Bobcats are looking to defend their 2008 Southland Conference
title as they went 13-4-4 a season ago, including a 7-0-2 mark in
league play. Texas State is 1-2-0 in 2009 after dropping a pair of
one-goal decisions to UC Irvine and UC Riverside.
“Texas State is a quality team that returns a majority of
their starters from a team that went to the NCAA tournament a year
ago,” Fletcher said. “They are going to be a very tough
opponent. We will have to put together a full 90 minute effort in
order to compete."
Live stats for the game against Texas State will be available
through the Samford athletics website, samfordsports.com.
Tech continues its seven-game road trip with trips to Belmont on
Sept. 11 and UNC Asheville on Sept. 13. The Golden Eagles will
return to Cookeville to open up Ohio Valley Conference play on
Sept. 25 against UT Martin. Admission to all Tech home soccer
matches is free.