By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information Coordinator
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech soccer team returns to Cookeville for a two-match homestand over the weekend, welcoming in Georgia State on Friday at 4 p.m. CT, before hosting Western Carolina on Sunday at 1 p.m.
The Golden Eagles (0-3-0) are searching for their first victory of the 2014 campaign, returning from Troy, Ala., winless in two chances in the 2014 Trojan Classic. A tale of two halves was Friday's theme in a matchup with a stellar South Alabama squad that took home last season's Sun Belt Conference Championship, as Tech surrendered just one score in the first 45 minutes of action, before a strong Jaguar second half swung the final to 5-0.
Two days later against the host Troy, TTU was upended 3-0 in a match that saw a season high 20 Golden Eagles hit the pitch.
"Well, first off it was a good chance to get on the road and see how the team handles themselves on a road trip, and how we prepare for two matches in a short period of time," Tech first-year head coach Steve Spingthorpe said on his group's first action away from Cookeville. "I thought we did a good job of preparing. We were mentally and physically prepared for the match on Friday. Unfortunately the score line is not what we hoped for.
"We worked hard on Saturday, watched some film, and talked about things we need to work on for Sunday's game. I thought we did well for a half against Troy, but unfortunately we weren't able to generate enough goal-scoring opportunities."
Georgia State heads to Tech Soccer Field with an 0-2-2 record having lost its last two matches to Samford on Aug. 31 and fellow OVC opponent Murray State on Aug. 29. The Panthers have found the back of the net three times this season with three different players doing the honors in junior Margaret Bruemmer, senior Whitney Ravan, and junior Ashley Nagy.
The Panthers have captured all five previous meetings with the Golden Eagles, including a 5-1 decision back in 2008 in the last matchup between the two clubs.
Western Carolina (0-2-2) is in the midst of a six-match road swing, including a matchup in Nashville with Lipscomb on Friday, before heading east to Cookeville on Sunday. The Catamount defense has yet to allow more than one goal in any of their four affairs, but the offense has only scored two goals throughout the quartet of matches.
Tech is 1-3 all time against Western Carolina with the Catamounts seizing the last meeting, a 1-0 home victory in 2012.
Admission to both matches is free of charge. Both tilts will also be streamed live on the Ohio Valley Conference Digital Network via the Golden Eagle Sports Network with Dylan Vazzano calling all the action for the second consecutive season.
