By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech soccer team is back on the road for a pair of weekend matches up north. The Golden Eagles will kick off the two-match swing with a Friday, Aug. 31 clash at Evansville before concluding the brief stretch up north with a Sunday, Sept. 2 affair at Purdue Fort Wayne. Friday's match is set to begin at 7 p.m. CT, while Sunday's contest begins at noon.
Both matches will be streamed live. Click here to watch Friday's contest at Evansville. Click here for Sunday's tilt at Purdue Fort Wayne.
Tech (2-2-0) will embark on its second road trip of the year following a season-opening homestand that saw the Golden Eagles split their first two in Cookeville. Tech kicked off the stretch in dramatic fashion thanks a 2-1 come-from-behind win against East Tennessee State in the club's 2018 home opener on Aug. 24.
Trailing 1-0 after surrendering a Bucs score just over two minutes into the match, TTU responded with a pair of second-stanza goals that ultimately pushed the Golden Eagles to the nail-biting victory. Molly Kafader poured home the equalizer after heading in a Rachel Blow corner into the back of the net in the 59th minute, just before freshman Marta Moreno put Tech ahead in the 65th minute with her first career goal in her first career match.
Tech's bid at a perfect homestand was upended on Aug. 26 as North Alabama came to Cookeville and secured a 4-0 victory. The loss marked the first time in 40 matches in which the Golden Eagles allowed more than two goals in a contest and was the first time in 71 matches in which Tech yielded more than three goals in a tilt.
The Golden Eagles did manage a season-high 12 shots against the Lions and have combined for 22 shots in the last two matches after producing 11 attempts in the first two clashes at Georgia State and Lipscomb. Sophomore Kendall Powell leads the club with nine shots and six shots on-goal.
Evansville will continue a trend that has seen the Purple Aces (1-3-0) lock up primarily with Ohio Valley Conference schools. Friday's match with the Golden Eagles will be the fourth time in five matches in which Evansville has faced a team from the OVC. The Purple Aces won 2-1 at SEMO in the club's season-opener, but have since lost three in a row, including defeats against Austin Peay (Aug. 19) and at UT Martin (Aug. 29)
Jayme-Lee Hunter is responsible for two of the club's three goals this season, while Montana Portenier has the other score and leads the Purple Aces with five shots.
The Golden Eagles are 0-2 in their short history with Evansville.
Before greeting Tech, Purdue Fort Wayne will tangle at Loyola Chicago Friday evening. The Mastodons (1-2-1) are coming off a 2-1 win at Valparaiso on Aug. 26 that featured a Kendall Quinn game-winning goal in the 68th minute. Quinn is one of four Purdue Fort Wayne players that have found the back of the net this season, joining Kayla Wisniewski, Kailyn Wade and Deanna Hecht.
Tech's meeting with Purdue Fort Wayne will mark the first in program history.
Photo by Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information