Posted: Sep 03, 2015
By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information Coordinator
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Fresh off its history-making victory over the University of Alabama, the Tennessee Tech soccer team treks down to the state of Georgia where they will tangle with Mercer and Georgia State over the weekend. On Friday, the Golden Eagles (1-3-0) will lock up with Mercer (1-3-0) at 6 p.m. CT, before scooting to Georgia State (3-0-0) for a Sunday showdown with the Panthers at 1 p.m.
Tech heads on the road for the second time this season following its first ever win over an SEC school on Sunday after stunning the Crimson Tide, 2-1. The Golden Eagles got off to a quick start behind a Mary Francis Hoots 17th minute goal to put Tech ahead 1-0, before showing resiliency in the second half after Alabama provided the equalizer.
In the 63rd minute with the match squared away at 1-1, sophomore Zoie Hensley and senior Taylor Sutton teamed up to put the Golden Eagles on top. Although it appeared as if the Tide goalkeeper had control of a loose ball, Hensley found a way to wrestle it away, before tapping it back outside the box to Sutton, who smoked it into the back of the net to give Tech a 2-1 edge.
Hensley assisted on both TTU scores in the match to become the first Golden Eagle with two assists on the young season, while senior Taylor Blazei, who added an assist as well, sets the Tech pace with three points on the year.
Defensively, Tech stood sturdy in preserving the 2-1 lead over the Tide, fending off 14 second-half Alabama shots. Freshman goalkeeper Kari Naerdemann collected five saves in the win, while Hoots and the rest of the back line made a number of key defensive plays to secure the victory.
For their efforts, both Hoots and Naerdemann were honored by the OVC on Tuesday, with Hoots taking home the adidas® Ohio Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Week, and Naerdemann recognized as the adidas® OVC Co-Goalkeeper of the Week.
The Tech freshman goalkeeper has impressed in the early stages of the year, leading the OVC with a stellar .844 save-percentage. Overall, the Golden Eagle defensive unit has yet to allow a goal in the first half of a match this season, matching the 2004 Tech bunch as the last TTU team to begin a season with four first-half shutouts in a row.
The Golden Eagles will put their undefeated all-time record against Mercer on the line Friday evening, coming into the matchup with a perfect 3-0 mark that has seen Tech outscore the Bears 9-2 all-time.
Mercer's tilt with TTU concludes a three-match home stand that has featured a Bear win over Charlotte and a loss against Appalachian State. Junior Jamilah Tejan enters the match with a team-best two goals and five points.
Tech will look to hand Georgia State its first loss of the season Sunday afternoon, with the Panthers coming into the affair with a perfect 3-0 record, outscoring its opponents 9-2 in the early stages of the year. Junior Suzanne Arafa leads the squad with three goals, while senior Callie O'Connor has scored the game-winning goal in each of the last two matches.
TTU notched its first ever victory against Georgia State last year, taking out the Panthers 1-0 in what was Steve Springthorpe's first win as Golden Eagle head coach.
Before welcoming Tech, Georgia State will hook up with Jacksonville State on Friday.
