By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – A pair of second-half scores got the Tennessee Tech soccer team on the board, but a flurry of IUPUI goals was too much to overcome in a 5-2 defeat Sunday afternoon at Michael A. Carroll Stadium.
Two Golden Eagles gathered their first goals of 2023, with Katie Toney tallying a score in the 53rd minute and Bailey Taylor finding the back of the net in the 69th minute. Taylor's net-finder was part of a three-point showing for the Powell, Tenn. product, who also captured her first assist of the season on Toney's strike. Taylor's goal was her 13th her of her Tech tenure, while the senior forward's assist was her seventh helper of her Golden Eagle career.
Freshman Sydney Clements picked up her first collegiate assist on Taylor's score with just over 20 minutes left in regulation, helping push the Golden Eagles (0-3-2) to their first two-goal output in a match this year that featured a season-high 14 shots and six shots on-goal for Tech.
IUPUI (4-2-0) got off to a sizzling start behind five goals in the tilt's first 50 minutes, with five different Jaguars splitting the pipes as part of an IUPUI attack that entered the affair with already nine scores over its first five contests.
Emma Manolovic unwrapped the scoring in the 14th minute, before Lindsey Castillo doubled up the margin with a drive in the 32nd minute. Leading 2-0, IUPUI would catch fire behind three more goals in an eight-minute span that bridged the end of the first half into the beginning of the second.
Jessica Jacobs put the Jaguars ahead 3-0 with a goal in the 42nd minute, while Kailyn Smith put one home in the 49th minute and Avery Bangert scored in the 50th minute to cap off the Jaguar offensive performance. IUPUI notched six assists on the afternoon, with Leah Shumate serving as the only Jaguar to pick up a pair of helpers.
Maggie Conrad and Kendall Curran shared goalkeeping responsibilities for TTU, with each Golden Eagle playing 45 minutes in between the pipes. Conrad surrendered three goals and collected four saves in the first half, and Curran allowed two goals and made four stops in the second in her first collegiate contest.
Yao Giada Zhou paced the Golden Eagles with three shots and two shots on-point, while Sam Slimak led the match in both departments behind five total attempts and three tries on-frame.
Tech will wrap up its season-long two-match road swing with a Thursday night meeting at UAB. Kickoff from Birmingham, Ala. is set for 6 p.m. CT.
Photo by Jim Dillon
