By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Every story needs an origin. An introduction that grabs the attention of its audience, and if done correctly, captivates the crowd to continue the tale.
What about a beginning that promises to go off script, challenging typical outcomes while blending drama, emotion and history in a setting ripe with uniqueness? You'd follow along, wouldn't you?
For a late-August evening in 2015, the Tennessee Tech soccer team provided the proper hook to a tale of triumph, one that transformed a slumping program that had five combined wins in the previous two years, into a TTU club that would enjoy its second greatest three-year stretch in school history.
Here's how it all began.
The Golden Eagles came into a Sunday-evening contest in Cookeville without a victory in 2015, suffering three consecutive one-goal defeats to christen the campaign. Dating back to a difficult 2014 season, Tech had not won a match over its last 16 affairs, nearly a calendar year.
Heading into the club's August 30 match at Tech Soccer Field, the schedule seemingly did not offer the purple and gold much of a reprieve in its hopes of bucking the troublesome trend. The name glaring at the Golden Eagles – the team from Tuscaloosa – the University of Alabama.
The tangle with the Tide would mark Tech's 12th ever meeting against a team from the vaunted Southeastern Conference. The Golden Eagles were 0-11 in the previous get-togethers with their SEC foes.
The details in the deck seemed stack, but here is what the 24 cast in purple and gold did have going for them – the environment. A unique buzz filled Tech Soccer Field on that balmy Sunday evening in what was only the second ever night match in Cookeville after the newly minted lights, officially unveiled in the season-opener against Little Rock just nine days prior, sat overhead the pitch.
A program-record crowd of 961 that featured standing room only packed the place to witness TTU's second ever time hosting an SEC opponent, with a Sept. 7, 2008 meeting vs. Vanderbilt serving as the only other contest on Tech's all-time home resume. Early on, the boisterous bunch would be heard from after the Golden Eagles struck first, immediately giving steam to the notion that an upset might be brewing.
It took only the 17th minute and it began with a feed from Zoie Hensley. The 5-foot-4 sophomore connected on a pass to senior Taylor Blazei, who then drifted one into the box to set the stage for Mary Francis Hoots to take over. Despite heavy traffic, the Tech sophomore put one on point, splitting the pipes for her second career goal to give the Golden Eagles a 1-0 edge.
TTU's narrow advantage would hold up until intermission with both clubs attempting four shots apiece. 45 minutes stood between Tech and its significant piece of program history, but the Tide made it abundantly clear that they would be heard from.
Relentless in its chances in the second half, Alabama outshot the Golden Eagles 14-2 in the period, providing the equalizer in the 53rd minute on the club's fourth shot of the stanza. An Emma Welch corner started it. A Celia Jimenez shot on-target ended it. Just like that, the match refreshed itself at 1-1 with just over 35 minutes remaining in regulation. Game on.
Tested with the prospects of a brand new contest, it did not take long for the Golden Eagles to wrestle the momentum back, rising to the occasion a mere 10 minutes later. Again, initiated by Zoie Hensely.
After Tide goalkeeper Kat Stratton appeared to have control of a loose ball that deflected her way in the 63rd minute, Hensley proved to be persistent in her pursuits, finding a way to wrangle control of the loose ball from Stratton. After gaining possession, the Tech sophomore pushed it back to the outside of the box, where Golden Eagle senior Taylor Sutton stepped up and buried one into the back of what now became a wide open net after Stratton strayed out of position, pushing Tech to a 2-1 lead.
The go-ahead score was only the second shot of the half and ended up being the last shot of the match for the Golden Eagles. Tech did not register an attempt over the final 27 minutes and change, so it would be up to TTU's defense to halt any thoughts of a Crimson Tide comeback.
Eight Alabama shots later, all of which went begging, and the Golden Eagles had pulled it off. The time trickled down to nothing but zeros. The match was over. History made.
With five saves, including four in the second half, freshman Kari Naerdemann collected her first career win in her fourth career start. Yes, the same Kari Naermdeann who would go on to set the program's all-time victory record with 35 over the next four years. The same Kari Naerdemann that became the league's only ever three-time OVC Defensive Player of the Year. It was the bout against 'Bama where it all began for the Herne, Germany native.
The 2015 Golden Eagles would go on to secure the most conference wins in one season in school history, a second-place OVC finish for the highest ending in 15 years and a regular-season winning record for the first time in over a decade. Over the next three years, the program would enjoy 28 total victories for the second most in a three-year window in school history, 18 conference nods for the most ever in a three-year stretch, three consecutive top three league finishes and three straight appearances in the OVC Tournament semifinals.
However, as for the roots of the transition from the bottom toward the top, look no further than a late-August evening in Cookeville when the tide turned for Tennessee Tech soccer.
Photo by Jim Dillon
