By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – The Tennessee Tech soccer team's 2019 campaign came to a close Friday evening, as the Golden Eagles were upended in the first round of the OVC Tournament with a 2-0 loss to Eastern Illinois.
The eighth-seeded Panthers (4-9-4, 2-5-3) found the back of the net in each half, overcoming a 16-9 shot deficit to Tech that included a TTU 10-3 attempt advantage in the second period. The fifth-seeded Golden Eagles (6-8-5, 4-3-3 OVC) held the edge in the shots on-goal department with a 6-4 advantage over EIU.
Eastern Illinois scored in each stanza with goals in the 32nd and 57th minutes. Victoria Wharton unwrapped the scoring following a Panther corner, the club's second corner of the half. Lexi Ketterhagen picked up the assist after setting up Wharton to give Eastern Illinois the initial edge.
The Panthers doubled up the margin just over 10 minutes into the second period on the squad's third shot after intermission. Sarah DeWolf took over the team lead with her fourth goal of the season, using a Pillar Barrio feed to push the margin to 2-0.
Kendall Powell paced the purple and gold with four shots, one of four Golden Eagles to notch at least three attempts. Nora Vicsek, Bailey Taylor and Tina Marolt rounded out the quartet with three tries each.
Powell led the club with two shots on-goal behind an attempt in each half. The Cookeville native led TTU with seven goals this year, including a combined five over the last five matches of the regular season. Powell concludes her junior year in second-place on the program's all-time game-winning goals list with eight in three seasons.
Red-shirt junior Isabelle Austin recorded a save in each period to finish the year with 86. The two stops also moved the Sylvania, Ohio product into the top 10 on the school's all-time career list in halts. EIU's Sara Teteak registered the shutout with six saves in between the pipes.
Nine Golden Eagles went the distance tonight, with Austin, Powell, Marolt, Vicsek, Taylor, Rachel Blow, Macy Carter and Kaitie Shipley playing all 90 minutes.
Shipley, a 2018 All-OVC first-team recipient that played in every minute over the last two seasons as one of the team's anchors on the back line, ends her Tech tenure with three goals, including a pair this season in her swan song campaign.
Blow wraps up her Golden Eagle run fifth all-time in career minutes played and tied for 10th all-time in career assists with 10. Thanks in large part to a team-leading six assists this year, Tina Marolt ends her time at Tech tied for sixth with 11 assists in just over two seasons with the program.
Nora Vicsek finishes a four-year stint with the Golden Eagles fourth in career game-winning goals with six, tied for seventh with 118 shots, and sixth on the all-time list with 51 shots on-goal in four seasons.
Photo by Patrick Clark
