NOTE: Due to the ongoing rain in Cookeville, Tennessee Tech regrets to announce that it must cancel the webstream of the match against Eastern Kentucky. Fans can follow the action via live stats, and read about it on TTUsports.com following the match.
By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information Coordinator
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Following a perfect weekend to kick off Ohio Valley Conference action, the Tennessee Tech soccer team returns home for its first OVC match of the season, as the Golden Eagles (4-4-3, 2-0-0) will welcome Eastern Kentucky for a Friday evening showdown at 7 p.m. CT.
Tech came out of the OVC gates scorching, pulling off a pair of road victories at Belmont and Jacksonville State to christen the conference campaign. The Golden Eagles join UT Martin as the only other OVC school to start 2-0, and Tech is also unbeaten in seven of its last eight matches.
TTU began the hot start with a thrilling win in Nashville last Thursday, upending the Bruins late in the match behind a Kalyn Pruett score in the 85th minute that broke a scoreless deadlock.
The 5-foot-6 junior found the back of the net off a corner kick, using a Karigan Owens attempt that was initially deflected off the try of Abi Gearing, before Pruett buried it to smack an exclamation point at the end of the latest edition in the in-state battle with Belmont. Pruett's goal marked the second of the season for the Nashville native, tying her with sophomore Mary Francis Hoots for the most on the club.
TTU then carried Thursday's momentum into Sunday's affair with Jacksonville State, scoring twice in the first half en route to a 2-1 victory over the Gamecocks that sent the Golden Eagles off to their best conference start since 2005.
Abi Gearing and Cassidy Ortman both registered goals in Sunday's win, adding to a balanced Tech attack that has now seen seven different Golden Eagles score on the year. Sophomore Zoie Hensley leads the TTU charge with four assists this season, and fellow sophomore Karigan Owens comes into Friday's match against the Colonels with an assist in three straight contests.
Defensively, TTU continued its stellar ways with the club surrendering just one goal on the weekend while recording two more first-half shutouts to make it nine in 11 matches this season. Freshman goalkeeper Kari Naerdemann notched 10 saves in the pair of conference tilts, tallying her third shutout of the year in Thursday's blanking of Belmont.
The Herne, Germany native still leads the OVC with an impressive .849 save-percentage, and Naerdemann's 0.91 goals against average is good enough for third in the conference as well.
Eastern Kentucky recorded its first victory of the season in the club's last match on Sunday, slipping past Austin Peay, 1-0. Freshman Haley Kemper produced the game-winner in the 58th minute for the Crestwood, Ky. native's first career score, while sophomore goalkeeper Anna Hall secured the shutout with seven saves.
Hall has split time in net with senior Samm Melton, appearing in five matches and allowing six goals while halting 26 shots in nearly 350 minutes between the pipes for an .812 save percentage.
EKU leads the all-time series, 7-3.
Admission to all Golden Eagle home regular season matches is free of charge.
