COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – With the cooler temperatures seemingly here to stay in Tennessee, the month of October will bring with it not only the fall season in general, but also essentially a “new” season for Tennessee Tech women’s soccer.
Nine matches into the 2010 season, the Golden Eagles have already faced opponents from five different conferences – two each from the SEC, SoCon and Big South, and one from the WAC and Sun Belt conferences.
The Golden Eagles have amassed a record of 2-7 in non-conference play – a record that includes three extra-minute games against MTSU, Louisiana Tech and Radford – and have netted nine goals, with sophomore Andrea Meloff leading the way with three to her credit.
With the kickoff of conference play, Tech will look to build on those numbers, beginning with a weekend trip to Kentucky for two, quick turnaround games against Morehead State and Eastern Kentucky.
Both of those teams are undefeated (2-0) in conference play thus far, and currently lead the OVC overall. EKU sits at the top spot with an overall record of 5-4-2, while Morehead follows in the no. 2 spot with a 5-6 record.
Tech leads the all-time series against Morehead State, having notched eight wins to the Eagles’ four since 1998, including a double-overtime win in the second round of the Ohio Valley Conference tournament when Morehead was ranked No. 1 last year. Having played at home during their last five contests, the MSU Eagles are currently on a two-game win streak, having knocked off UT-Martin and Murray State last weekend to start conference play.
The Golden Eagles also have a narrow lead on EKU for the series, leading by three games to two. The Colonels, however, are carrying a four-game win streak this season, including one on the road over the University of Detroit-Mercy. EKU kicked off conference play against Martin and Murray as well, combining with Morehead State to leave the Racers and Skyhawks 0-2 in the OVC.
“For all intents and purposes, our season starts now,” emphasized first-year coach Daniel Brizard. “The OVC is where it really counts for us. The team made a run at the title last year, and I expect nothing less from us as we get going with conference play this year.
“We’re diving into the OVC headfirst, taking on the two powerhouses in our first weekend road series,” he continued. “The atmosphere will be tense, but our first nine games against teams from larger conferences have prepared us for the coming weeks of OVC play. This won’t be anything that our team isn’t prepared to handle.”
Fans who cannot make the trek to either Kentucky venue can follow the Live Stats at the following links:
