By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information
MOREHEAD, Ky. – The Tennessee Tech soccer team's bid at capturing a second-consecutive Ohio Valley Conference regular-season crown will have to wait until Sunday after Morehead State handed the Golden Eagles a 2-1 loss Thursday afternoon for Tech's first league defeat of the year.
Morehead's narrow nod snapped TTU's overall nine-match unbeaten streak, which was tied with the 2017 club for the longest unblemished stretch in school history. The Golden Eagles also saw their run of 21-straight OVC regular-season matches without a loss come to an end, which was tied with Samford (2005-07) for the second-longest span in conference history.
Tech (7-5-4, 6-1-1 OVC) nearly put together a dramatic second-half comeback after falling behind 2-0, with the Golden Eagles first cutting the deficit in half thanks to a Katie Toney in the 69th minute, before an equalizing score by Yao Giada Zhou in the 73rd minute was wiped off the board due to an offsides call. Neve Renwick started the play with a sliding interception through Eagle traffic in which the Tech freshman gathered and guided a feed to Giada Zhou who then roped one home to briefly square the score at 2-2.
With action ready to resume in now a brand-new affair, the whistle sounded and the goal was taken off the board to keep Morehead State in control with a 2-1 advantage.
The Eagles (6-5-5, 5-1-2 OVC) jumped on the board late in the first half to become to the first team to split the pipes against Tech in a first stanza since Sept. 3 at IUPUI, snapping a string of 10-consecuitive contests without allowing a first-half score. Sarah Faloon did the honors in the 42nd minute, using a Gracen Houck pass to set up the finish. Houck was awarded an assist on the play.
With Morehead leading 1-0 over a third of the way into the second half, a TTU foul inside the box set up a penalty kick in the 62nd minute with a chance for the Eagles to double up the margin. Hadley Cytron lined up the try and sent one into the lower right corner of the net to extend the Morehead edge to 2-0 for Tech's largest deficit faced since Sept. 3.
Despite trailing by a pair, the Golden Eagles refused to go down quietly, rallying quickly on Toney's score less than 10 minutes later. A Morehead State attempt to clear was denied by the Tech sophomore, with Toney redirecting a Sarah Faloon drive over the head of Eagle keeper Erin Gibbs and into the back of the net for her Toney's fifth goal of the year. The McMinnville, Tenn. native is now tied with Renwick and Bailey Taylor for the second-most goals in the OVC.
Kate Larbes led the match with five shots, while Renwick paced the purple and gold with four attempts, including a rocket toward the top right corner of the net in the 55th minute that was fended off by Gibbs to keep the Golden Eagles at bay. Toney and Giada Zhou each took three tries, including a Giada Zhou bid on a free kick in the 59th minute that saw Gibbs climb the ladder to poke it just over the cross bar.
Gibbs would go on to have seven saves in the victory. Maggie Conrad posted three stops across the way.
The Golden Eagles will have another go at claiming the conference regular-season title on Sunday, as TTU will welcome Little Rock to town for the final match of the regular year. A Golden Eagle victory over the Trojans or a Morehead State loss or draw at SIUE will push the purple and gold to its second-consecutive championship.
Kickoff at Tech Soccer Field is set for 1 p.m. CT and admission is free of charge.
Photo by Jim Dillon
