By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The 2020-21 Tennessee Tech soccer season has finally arrived, as the Golden Eagles will make their spring debt Tuesday afternoon in Clarksville, Tenn. Tech will open the 10-match, conference-only slate at Austin Peay in a 2 p.m. CT battle at Morgan Bros. Soccer Field.
Live stats are available for the match. Click here to view.
A look at Tennessee Tech
The Golden Eagles are coming off a conference-winning campaign in 2019 after tallying a 4-3-3 OVC ledger for the program's fourth league-winning season in the last five years. Tech concluded with a fifth-place finish in the conference to secure a return-trip to the OVC Tournament, where the Golden Eagles saw their season end in the opening round at the hands of Eastern Illinois.
Junior Cassidy Bereda is the leading returner in the points department, wrapping up 2019 with 11 points thanks to four goals and a trio of assists. Sophomore Bailey Taylor collected four goals in her rookie season in 2019, finishing with Bereda in a tie for second on the squad.
Senior Isabelle Austin is back for another season between the pipes after playing each and every minute in net for the Golden Eagles in 2019. The Sylvania, Ohio product finished fifth in the league with 86 saves, while her three shutouts were good enough for a tie for third in the conference as well.
The Golden Eagles were selected to finish sixth in the OVC's predicted order of finish. The aforementioned Bereda was picked as Tech's Player to Watch.
A look at Austin Peay
The Govs compiled a 3-5-2 conference record in 2019, finishing the season with a 4-10-4 overall mark. APSU earned a spot in the OVC Tournament behind a seventh-place finish and was upended, 1-0, by the eventual champion, Belmont, in the first round.
Senior Claire Larose returns as the team's top offensive threat thanks to an 11-point showing in 2019 that featured three goals and club-leading five assists. Anna McPhie secured a spot on the OVC's All-Newcomer team in 2019 after ending the year tied for the team lead in goals with three scores. The Nelson, New Zealand native also collected two assists for a total of eight points.
The Govs did lose their top goalkeeper in Mary Parker Powell, who played in 18 matches in net and finished in sixth in the league with a .764 save percentage. APSU does return its other two goalkeepers that appeared between the pipes last season, with Peyton Powell and Chloe Dion both seeing time in two matches in 2019.
Austin Peay was picked to finish seventh in the OVC's predicted order of finish. Claire Larose was chosen as the team's Player to Watch.
Inside the series
Tech leads the all-time series, 11-5-2, over the Govs, which includes a thrilling 2-1 win on Tech's Senior Day in 2019. Trailing 1-0 with less than 10 minutes to go on Oct. 6, the Golden Eagles rallied with scores by seniors Katie Shipley in the 83rd minute and Nora Vicsek in the 88th to capture the narrow nod. The last meeting in Clarksville occurred back in the 2018 season and saw the Govs notch a 1-0 win behind a Claire Larose goal in the 18th minute.
Photo by Thomas Corhern
