By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Another in-state foe is on the books for the Tennessee Tech soccer team, as the Golden Eagles will renew their rivalry with Middle Tennessee in the club's non-conference finale Sunday evening in Cookeville. Kickoff with the Blue Raiders is slated for 5 p.m. CT at Tech Soccer Field.
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
Tech (1-4-2) gets set to seal the deal on non-conference action fresh off the purple and gold's first victory of the season thanks to a 3-1 nod over Lipscomb in the squad's last match on Sept. 10. Neve Renwick pushed the Golden Eagles ahead early behind her first two career goals with strikes in the 20th and 34th minutes to put Tech on top 2-0. The rookie forward's first score marked TTU's earliest goal in a match this year, while Renwick's second net-finder provided the Golden Eagles with their first two-score edge in a tilt this season.
Bailey Taylor would go on to cap off TTU's scoring in the 51st minute with her second goal of the campaign and 14th of her collegiate career. Taylor's next marker will put her inside the top 10 in career goals in program history. The Powell, Tenn. product also added an assist in the win over the Bisons for her second three-point contest this season.
Defensively, Maggie Conrad helped pace the purple and gold with a career-high 10 saves in the triumph over Lipscomb. The 5-foot-7 junior also collected then a career-best eight stops in Tech's previous match at UAB on Sept. 7, which ultimately led her to being named the OVC Co-Goalkeeper of the Week on Tuesday for her second weekly honor of her Tech tenure.
Sunday's get-together with Middle Tennessee will be the fourth and final non-conference home matchup for the Golden Eagles against a club from the Volunteer State. Tech fell to Chattanooga, tied ETSU and knocked off Lipscomb in the first of trio of affairs.
A look at Middle Tennessee
The Blue Raiders (3-5-1) come to Cookeville on the heels of a three-match slide that has seen MTSU get outscored 11-1 in losses to Chattanooga, Vanderbilt and WKU. Unlike the Golden Eagles, Middle Tennessee was last spotted on the pitch on Thursday in a 3-0 loss at WKU in the squad's Conference USA opener.
Manon Legarby leads the Blue Raiders with four goals on just nine shots this season. The sophomore out of Lille, France went through a stretch of finding the back of the net in three straight matches from Aug. 31 through Sept. 7 to become the first Blue Raider to accomplish the feat since September 2021. Cambell Kivisto is the only other MTSU player with more than one score behind two goals this year.
The Blue Raider defense has yielded 20 goals and carded 25 saves this season. The club has a .732 save percentage and a 2.22 goals against average.
Middle Tennessee has shared three common opponents with Tech so far this fall. The Blue Raiders have lost to Chattanooga, Lipscomb and WKU, while the Golden Eagles dropped their contest to the Mocs, defeated the Bisons and knotted the Lady Toppers.
Inside the series
Sunday's matchup will represent the 20th meeting in the all-time series. The Blue Raiders possess a 15-4-0 edge, but the Golden Eagles have claimed the last two battles, which includes a 3-1 victory in last year's clash in Murfreesboro.
Photo by Jim Dillon
