By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech soccer team will hit the road for the last time in the regular season, as the Golden Eagles scoot over to Jacksonville State on Friday for the second to last match of the spring. The final meeting as members of the same conference is set to begin at 3 p.m. CT.
The match will be broadcast live on ESPN+. Click here to watch. Live stats are also available. Click here to view.
A look at Tennessee Tech
The Golden Eagles (3-5-0) enter the affair at JSU on the heels of a 1-0 home defeat to SIUE Tuesday afternoon in a match that saw the Cougars clip the back of the net in the in the 59th minute. Tech's defense did limit the league's most potent offense to under their season average in shots, continuing a stingy defensive trend that has Tech sitting atop the OVC in most major offensive categories.
The Golden Eagles lead the league with only five goals allowed in eight matches, and the club's 0.61 goals against average is also best in the conference. Senior keeper Isabelle Austin leads the OVC with a stout .896 save percentage, while the Sylvania, Ohio native's 43 stops are also tied for the most in the league.
With a match-high four shots in Tuesday's tilt vs. SIUE, Chloe Smith moved into a tied for fourth in the OVC with 22 attempts. The Cincinnati, Ohio product is responsible for one of Tech's three scores this year, a game-winner in the 88th minute at Morehead State on Mar. 9. Freshmen Gabby Garcia and Meredith Nye have accounted for TTU's other two goals.
All eight of Tech's matches have been decided by a 1-0 margin.
A look at Jacksonville State
The Gamecocks (3-4-1) have had a seesaw sort of a spring, first starting the campaign with three straight losses before going through a recent four-match unbeaten streak behind a 3-0-1 mark. JSU's unblemished surge was snapped in the club's last contest with a 3-2 loss Tuesday at Eastern Illinois.
JSU's 17 goals are good enough for second in the OVC behind a balanced attack that has featured eight different scorers throughout the course of the spring. Cynthia Bagozzi's four goals lead the club and are tied for second in the league. Alicia Pallister's seven assists are the most in the conference.
Defensively, the Gamecocks ranks second to last in the OVC with 15 goals surrendered in eight matches. Morgan Lerch has been the club's primary keeper with six starts between the pipes and has yielded eight goals for a 1.28 goals against average and a .800 save percentage.
Inside the Series
Tennessee Tech holds a narrow edge in the all-time series behind an 8-7-4 mark in 19 total meetings against the Gamecocks. The Golden Eagles have won five consecutive in the set, including a 1-0 win in the last meeting on Oct. 13, 2019 in Jacksonville.
Photo by Jim Dillon