photo courtesy of Janet Lally

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee Tech soccer fans have certainly gotten more minutes than they bargained for this season, as the Golden Eagles matched the Radford Highlanders for 90 minutes of regular play today, taking the game into extra minutes for the third time this season.

While Tech and Radford each had multiple opportunities to finish in regular time - the Golden Eagles notched 13 shots, five on goal to Radford's 15 shots, seven on goal - neither team could convert on their attacks. Much of the game was played in the midfield, with both teams splitting possession time.

When scoring opportunities were present, TTU was sharp but unlucky. The Golden Eagles were lead by seniors Michelle Decker and Jen Hoffman with three shots apiece, one of which hit the crossbar from 35 yards out for a near miss by Decker. Kris Cambron and Andrea Meloff followed up with two shots each. Cambron redirected a cross for a would-be header to put the Golden Eagles on the board in the second half, but missed wide.

Radford was lead by Julie Ruh'e, who peppered freshman keeper Becca Toler with three shots, all of which fell on net, and scored the game winner for the Highlanders in the 97th minute. The freshman out of Monrovia, Md., who leads RU with four goals on the season, ripped a shot from 20 yards out that beat Toler to find the near side netting.

"We're eager to get going with conference play," said head coach Daniel Brizard. "We've spent the non-conference season learning valuable lessons from each of the different teams we've faced, and today was no different."

"We've proven this year that we can stick with teams and take games into extra minutes," he continued. "Now we need to prove that we can come together in overtime to clinch the win. We work too hard day in and day out at every single game to walk away with an overtime loss."

The Golden Eagles will kick off their conference schedule on the road, taking on Morehead State and Eastern Kentucky next weekend. Tech will square off against the Eagles  in a Friday night game at 6 p.m., and follow up with a Sunday afternoon meeting with EKU at 12 p.m.