By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech soccer team's much anticipated 2023 home opener has arrived, as the Golden Eagles are set to toe the pitch in Cookeville for the first time this season Sunday evening. The purple and gold will renew its rivalry with Chattanooga, with kickoff between the two in-state schools scheduled for 6 p.m. CT.
Admission is free of charge. The match will be broadcast live on ESPN+. Click here to watch. Live stats will also be available. Click here to view.
A look at Tennessee Tech
Late-match theatrics was the story in the TTU's season opener, as the Golden Eagles rallied for a late score at WKU on the way to forcing a 1-1 deadlock Thursday night. Trailing 1-0 with just over five minutes left in regulation, Tech (0-0-1) tied the score on a corner, with freshman Abigail Davis burying the equalizer into the upper left corner of the net in the 85th minute for her first career score.
Sami Cullum tabbed her first career assist as a Golden Eagle on the dramatic goal, capitalizing on a deflection before connecting with Davis. Freshman Tori Soutuyo started the play with a lofting ball to a crowd situated in the center of the box. The Chattanooga, Tenn. native was one of five Golden Eagles making their collegiate debut in the tilt, joining Davis, Melina Hamm, Neve Renwick and Ashley Wood.
Tech was outshot 12-6 in the contest, but managed to hold a 4-3 attempt lead after intermission following a WKU 9-2 edge in the first stanza. The Golden Eagles also paced the corner battle in the second half to the tune of a 4-2 discrepancy after the Lady Toppers led 5-1 on corners in the first.
Now as the scene shifts to Cookeville for the first time in 2023, the Golden Eagles will look to defend Tech Soccer Field, a place that saw TTU officially wrap up its second-ever OVC regular-season championship last year behind a 1-0 victory over Morehead State on Oct. 20. Tech's triumph over the Eagles was part of an unblemished conference campaign, the first of its kind in the OVC since UT Martin went undefeated in 2018.
Sunday's match with the Mocs will mark the first time the Golden Eagles have hit the home pitch since the OVC Tournament championship match in what was Tech's first appearance in the title tilt since 2009. The hosting responsibilities for the finals and semifinals of the tourney were a first in school history for the purple and gold.
A look at Chattanooga
The Mocs march to Cookeville following a season-opening 3-1 loss at Vanderbilt in Thursday's tangle in Nashville. A pair of early Commodore scores set the tussle's tone, before Vandy added on in the 77th minute to go ahead 3-0. Sophomore Zoey Mize would end up finding the back of the net in the 84th minute for her first career goal to put the Mocs (0-1-0) on the board. Senior Birna Johannsdottir collected an assist on the score.
Similar to Tech, Chattanooga is coming off a historical 2022 campaign as well, a season in which they also claimed a regular-season conference championship. The club's first regular-season title saw the Mocs go 5-1-3 in the Southern Conference, but like the Golden Eagles they finished with an identical 8-5-5 overall record.
UTC returns a bulk of its key offensive pieces from a season ago, returning the squad's top four goal-scorers and top four point-getters from 2022. In fact, the Mocs bring back 15 of its 19 net-finders from last year's group. Mackenzie Smith highlights the bunch with a team-best five goals and 13 points from last season's club. The Louisville, Tenn. product is the only Moc named to the Preseason All-SoCon team.
Like Golden Eagle head coach Steve Springthorpe, Gavin McKinney is coming off a conference Coach of the Year accolade in 2022, his second in the last three seasons.
Inside the series
A series that dates back to 1997, Tech and Chattanooga will meet for the 22nd time in the regular season. Including exhibition matchups played each and every year from 2016-2019, the Mocs and Golden Eagles have met every year except for 1996 and 2020 since each program's inception in 1996.
UTC leads the all-time set 13-6-2. One of the two draws occurred in last season's get-together in the Scenic City and featured a fair share of dramatics for the purple and godl. Trailing 1-0 late in regulation, Meredith Nye provided the equalizer in the 86th minute that ultimately pushed the proceedings to a stalemate.
The last battle in Cookeville saw the Mocs capture a 1-0 overtime nod Aug. 29, 2021.
Photo by Jim Dillon
