By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information Coordinator
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech soccer team fought. Adversity hit the team early in its 2014 season finale, and the weather was far from kind with sturdy rainfall, aggressive winds, and frigid temperatures, but at the end of the day, the Golden Eagles (2-15-2, 0-8-2) fought.
Trailing 2-0 late in the second half, Tech nearly pulled off a heroic comeback against a good Jacksonville State squad, one that is heading to the OVC Tournament as the top goal-scoring team in the conference after netting an impressive 50 this season. Ultimately the Gamecocks (10-9-0, 6-4-0) though would survive a late scare, capturing the contest, 2-1.
With the clock dwindling on the Tech's season, the Golden Eagles struck back to make a game of it, scoring in the 80th minute to chop the deficit in half at 2-1. Junior Taylor Blazei, who was one of three Golden Eagles with a TTU high two shots in the match, began the goal-scoring march with a feed to senior Amanda Koch.
After corralling in the Blazei pass, Koch sent one from the right side of the box to freshman Zoie Hensley, who soared it into the back of the net for the Ranchos de Taos, N.M. native's first collegiate score. Both Blazei and Koch were credited with assists on the play, as Blazei wraps up the year with a Tech high five assists, nine points, 32 shots, and 14 shots on-goal.
The goal was part of an aggressive Golden Eagle attack in the second half that outshot the Gamecocks 6-2 in the final stanza. In fact the Hensley score capped off a stretch of four shots on-goal in the span of just 12 minutes late in the half, as Tech continuously applied pressure throughout the latter stages of the match, eventually outshooting JSU 10-9 for the entire affair.
Jax State, who had already secured a spot in the OVC Tournament for the first time since 2005, jumped out to an early 2-0 lead with a pair of first half goals. Nearly 10 minutes into the match, JSU sophomore Nicola Dominikovich kicked off the scoring after rattling one between the pipes on a string of passes from seniors Jackie Rush and Lindsey Jackson, who both earned assists on the goal. Dominikovich's net-finder was the 5-foot-4 midfielder's fourth of the season.
Fast forward to the 28th minute and this time it was Dominikovich who played the role of catalyst after feeding junior Kelsey Bright a pass into the box before Bright knocked it off her head and into the back of the net for her 10th score of the season. The Gamecocks would end up holding Tech to four shots in the first 45 minutes of action to take a 2-0 lead into the break.
Senior goalkeeper Rebecca Toler made one save and allowed two goals in her final collegiate match, ending her TTU career third all-time in saves, fourth in wins, and second in goalkeeper matches played.
Across the pitch, JSU used the goalkeeping tandem of freshman Caroline Robinson (first half) and sophomore Katie Thomas (second half) to combine for five total saves.
As the Golden Eagles wrap up their 2014 season, Tech says goodbye to its five seniors Rebecca Toler, Amanda Koch, Hayley Morton, Katie Phillips, and Kelsey McGohan.
