By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – It did not take long for the Tennessee Tech soccer team to hoist some hardware in the 2019 season.
After helping guide the Golden Eagles to a pair of wins behind a three-goal weekend, freshman Bailey Taylor was named the Ohio Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Week in just the third installment of this year's weekly accolades.
Taylor, who received the honor Tuesday afternoon, came up large in Tech's back-to-back wins over North Alabama on Aug. 6 and Appalachian State on Aug. 8. In the club's first victory of the year at UNA, the 5-foot-6 freshman deadlocked the score late in regulation with a goal in the 84th minute to knot the contest at 1-1, before the Golden Eagles would ultimately prevail with a 2-1 overtime win.
In TTU's home opener against App State, Taylor registered the first multi-goal effort of her young career with a pair of net-finders to lift the Golden Eagles to a second-consecutive 2-1 victory. The Powell, Tenn. product unwrapped the scoring with a 16th minute goal, and after App State tied the tilt at 1-1 in the second half, Taylor earned her first career game-winning goal with a drive that ricocheted off the far post and into the back of the net in the 65th minute.
Taylor becomes the first Golden Eagle to be named OVC Offensive Player of the Week since Kendall Powell secured the honor on Sept. 4, 2018 following a hat trick in a 4-0 win at Purdue Fort Wayne. Taylor is the first TTU freshman to claim a weekly accolade since Kari Naerdemann took home OVC Goalkeeper of the Week distinction on Sept. 8, 2015.
Overall, Taylor has split the pipes four times this season to put her in a tie for second most goals in the conference. The rookie's 13 total shots are also good enough for a tie for third in the OVC.
Taylor and the rest of the purple and gold continue a program-long, five-match homestand over the weekend with a pair of contests to close out non-conference play. The Golden Eagles host Evansville on Friday, Sept. 13 at 7 p.m. CT and welcome Lipscomb on Sunday, Sept. 15 at 6 p.m.
Admission to both matches at Tech Soccer Field is free of charge.
Photo by Thomas Corhern