By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech soccer team sealed the deal on its non-conference slate with a 2-2 draw in Sunday night's get-together with Middle Tennessee at Tech Soccer Field.
In the final match before the start of OVC play, the Golden Eagles (1-4-3) found themselves in the driver's seat with a two-goal edge thanks to a score late in the first half and another one early in the second, but the Blue Raiders found a way to equalize the affair behind a late comeback to pull even with the purple and gold.
Sadie Sterbenz put MTSU (3-5-2) on the board with a goal in the 73rd minute, with the freshman tallying her first career score off of a Blue Raider corner kick, before Middle Tennessee officially knotted the action with an Eleanor Gough net-finder in the 87th minute. A Tech turnover on the outskirts of the box allowed Gough to capture it, before the senior out of Milton Keynes, England let loose on a drive that found the back of the right side of the net.
"We certainly didn't lose tonight, which is always something you can feel good about, but of course it's a little disappointing to have an outcome like that where you are up 2-0 but can't find a way to close it out," TTU head coach Steve Springthorpe said. "You have to give MTSU credit. Watching their games this year and you can see that they are team that just battles and battles out there and tonight was no different. They had a much better second half and we didn't handle their pressure very well.
Once they put that first one in the back of the net to make it 2-1, it became more frantic out there and that's something our team will need to do a better job of and that's closing out games a little bit better than what we have done," Springthorpe continued. "It was a hard-fought game tonight. I'm sure the fans had a great time watching and ultimately, we are glad to get out of there with no injuries and to get at least a tie going into conference play."
TTU's pair of scores occurred within an eight-minute span after Yao Giada Zhou first split the pipes in the 42nd minute and Neve Renwick did her damage in the 50th minute. Giada Zhou's first score of the season saw a pair of freshmen pick up assists on the play, with Tori Soutuyo and Ashley Wood each earning helpers that aided the Golden Eagles in denting the scoreboard. Soutuyo connected with Wood, who then promptly crossed it to Giada Zhou for the finish.
Tech's second score saw two more rookies get in on the fun, with Melina Hamm sending a through ball to Renwick, who took care of the rest with a rocket into the back of the net. Renwick's goal was her third of the season and third in the last two contests after picking up a pair in TTU's 3-1 win over Lipscomb in the club's last match on Sept. 10. The Sheffield, England native also paced the match with a career-best seven shots, the most by a Golden Eagle in a single tilt this year.
Soutuyo, Wood and Hamm all tabbed their first collegiate assist.
"We have started to develop some chemistry on the attacking side," Springthorpe noted. "I thought our goals were well executed tonight and Neve continues to play well offensively for us. At the same time, I think we still need to defend better as a team in some instances. Ultimately, we are happy with how the attacking side has been coming along and I hope it continues to get better as we move into Thursday night's game."
Junior goalkeeper Maggie Conrad secured six stops in the draw, while Hannah Suder collected four saves for the Blue Raiders. Yana Yordanova led MTSU with five total shots.
"We have taken some lumps during non-conference play and have also played well at times, so the hope is that we have been tested now and can be ready for what conference has in store," Springthorpe said. "That being said, we know that our league is always tough and it doesn't matter which team you are playing, it's always a good battle. I told our team, 'ok it starts over now and we have to be prepared to go on the road Thursday and get ready to play a good Lindenwood team.'"
The OVC opener with the Lions on Sept. 21 is scheduled for a 7 p.m. CT kickoff in St. Charles, Mo.
Photo by Jim Dillon
