By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Hours after being selected to finish third in the Ohio Valley Conference's predicted order of finish, the Tennessee Tech soccer team took its first step towards working to exceed those expectations Friday evening.
In the team's first action of the 2016 season, and only exhibition match of the year, the Golden Eagles fought to a 1-1 draw against in-state rival Chattanooga, battling through three 30-minute periods (as opposed to the traditional 45-minute halves) under the lights of Tech Soccer Field.
All 25 of the team's healthy players saw action in the contest, including all eight Golden Eagle newcomers. Three of said newbies played an integral role in the Tech result on the night, including Julia Rebollo, Nora Vicsek and Kaitie Shipley.
A senior transfer from Barcelona, Spain, Rebollo notched the game-tying goal in the 46th minute of the contest, roughly 15 minutes after Chattanooga snagged the lead early in the second period. Rebollo corralled a tipped pass from Shipley, a freshman forward from Barrie, Ont., Canada and fired a shot past the goalkeeper into the upper right side of the net.
Shipley's pass came after a shot off the foot of Vicsek was blocked inside the box, popping up perfectly for Shipley to knock it back to Rebollo.
From that point, the two sides played a defensive struggle, with just 11 total shots on goal between the two teams. The OVC's reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Kari Naerdemann tallied three saves on the night while freshman Isabelle Austin posted two.
Tech officially opens the regular season on the road with a two-match North Carolina swing that will pit TTU at UNC Asheville on Friday, Aug. 19, before traveling to UNC Greensboro on Sunday, Aug. 21. The regular season home opener will take place under the lights against Wright State on Aug. 26 at 7 p.m.
Photo by Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
