By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information Coordinator
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech soccer team embarks on the rigorous part of its 2014 schedule over the weekend, beginning a stretch of eight-straight on the road with matchups at Chattanooga and Arkansas-Little Rock. The Golden Eagles (1-4-0) will square off with UTC (1-4-0) on Friday at 6 p.m. CT, before traveling to UALR (6-0-0) for a Sunday matinee with action kicking off at 1 p.m. CT.
"I don't know if you can truly prepare for an eight-game road swing," TTU first-year head coach Steve Springthorpe claimed on the start of nearly a month of matches away from Cookeville. "We talked about it earlier in the season, I don't know if we harped on it a whole lot but it's coming. We just have to use our time wisely because ultimately you have less practice time when you are on the road, and we also need to learn how to organize our time in regards to class work and rest."
Tech is coming off a split at home over the weekend after downing Georgia State 1-0 for the club's first win of the season on Sep. 5, before Western Carolina captured a 3-0 victory on Sep. 7. Against GSU, the Golden Eagles used an Abi Gearing goal, the sophomore forward's second of the season, and a sturdy defensive effort that included six Rebecca Toler saves to collect that all-important first "W."
"It came at a good time because I thought the week going into that game we were a little bit down," Spingthorpe said on his team's strong showing. "We certainly did things better on Friday against Georgia State. We finished a scoring opportunity and defended well enough to get a shutout, which was definitely nice to see. Now for our program we have to handle success when it comes and feed off that success, but still know that we have to play just as hard the following game after a win."
Chattanooga gets set to host Tech in the finale of a four-match home stand, entering the tilt with an identical 1-4 mark. The Mocs lone win of the season came back on Aug. 29 behind a 7-0 performance over Tennessee Temple, a school from the National Christian College Athletic Association, but since then UTC has been outscored 9-2 in losses to Gardner-Webb and Lipscomb.
Senior Crystal Mackezyk has gotten off to a nice start for the Mocs, leading the team with five goals, 11 points and 13 shots-on-goal. Junior Clare Latham, who scored in last year's 2-1 win over Tech in Cookeville, is tops on the squad with four assists.
Chattanooga leads the all-time series with the Golden Eagles, seizing 12-of-17 previous matchups, but Tech did take the last meeting in Chattanooga, a 2-0 victory on Aug. 19, 2012.
As far as Arkansas-Little Rock is concerned, the Trojans have looked impressive up to this point in building an undefeated 6-0 record. UALR has outscored its opponents 25-2 this year, which includes a 7-1 win in the club's last match over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Sep. 9. The match with Tech will conclude a string of three-straight at home for the Trojans, including a Thursday night showdown with Mississippi Valley State before the Golden Eagles come to town.
UALR has had 10 different players find the back on the net this year, led by freshman Quin Wilkes, senior Ariel Galletti, and freshman Fali Garuba, who are all deadlocked in a three-way tie for the team high of four goals. Wilkes also possesses a team-leading 11 points as the O'Fallon, Ill. native has also notched three assists this season.
Sunday will mark the second ever meeting between the two schools with the Trojans coming out on top in the only other tilt, a 2-0 win back in 1998.
