By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech soccer team will return to Cookeville for a non-conference closing two-match homestand that will begin with a Sunday evening in-state matchup with Lipscomb. Kickoff with the Bisons is set for 6 p.m. CT.
Admission to Tech Soccer Field 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
A challenging schedule that has featured a combined 22-6-3 record out of Tech's last five opponents, the Golden Eagles (0-4-2) have been tested throughout the early parts of the fall. TTU's bid at its first clean sheet of the season fell just short in the club's last clash after UAB scored in the waning moments of regulation to escape with a 1-0 victory in Thursday's get-together down in Birmingham, Ala.
Scoreless into the 87th minute, the Blazers split the pipes for the winner to push the squad's unbeaten streak to five straight. UAB's goal was one of 10 shots on-frame, with the Blazers forcing Maggie Conrad into a career-high trying eight saves. Overall, the junior goalkeeper out of Cedar Rapids, Iowa leads the OVC with 33 stops this season.
Offensively, Bailey Taylor leads the purple and gold with three points after scoring her 13th career goal and adding her seventh career assist in a Sept. 3 contest at IUPUI. The Powell, Tenn. product is two goals away from entering the program's top 10 career list in scores and is five points away from moving into the top 10 in career points.
Neve Renwick still leads Tech in shots with nine to tie for seventh in the conference, while Katie Toney's eight attempts knot her for 10th in the league. Toney joins Taylor, Abigail Davis and Tori Soutuyo as Golden Eagles who have found the back of the net this year.
A look at Lipscomb
Another formidable opponent stands in the way come Sunday, with the Bisons (4-3-0) entering the tilt having won four consecutive contests following an 0-3 beginning. The club is coming off its most impressive result of the season after downing Ole Miss 2-1 on Thursday for Lipscomb's first win over an SEC opponent since upending Kentucky on Sept. 16, 2018.
Kelli Beiler scored both Bison goals behind scores in the 21st and 53rd minutes. The Atlantic Sun Conference Preseason Player of the Year leads the conference in goals with six and points with 12. Beiler, who is the league's reigning Player of the Year, has scored all six of her goals over the last four matches.
Lipscomb also possesses the ASUN Preseason Midfielder of the Year in red-shirt senior Shelby Craft as well as the conference's Preseason Defender of the Year in Logan McFadden. Craft is currently tied for first in the ASUN with three assists.
From a goalkeeping perspective, sophomore Sara Kile picked up six saves in Thursday's triumph over Ole Miss to move her season total to 31, good enough for second in the league.
Inside the series
Sunday's showdown will mark the 11th meeting in the all-time set. The Golden Eagles lead the series 7-3, but Lipscomb has claimed the last three matchups. The Bisons took home a 4-0 victory in last year's clash in Nashville.
Photo by Jim Dillon
