By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech soccer team will wrap up its first homestand of the season Tuesday evening, as the Golden Eagles conclude the year's first stretch in Cookeville with a 7 p.m. CT battle with Belmont.
Fans will be allowed at Tech Soccer Field with admission free of charge, but will be required to social distance and wear face coverings. Capacity will be limited to one-third of the stadium's original capacity of 800 due to COVID-19 protocols.
The match will be broadcast live on ESPN+. Click here to watch. Live stats will also be available. Click here to view.
A look at Tennessee Tech
One of four unbeaten teams remaining through the first two weeks of the season, the Golden Eagles (3-0-0) join SEMO at 3-0-0, while Murray State and SIUE both possess 4-0-0 records. With three straight 1-0 wins in its back pocket, Tech is the only team in the league yet to allow a goal this spring, and the three consecutive clean sheets to begin a campaign is the first occurrence in program history.
TTU's 3-0-0 start to a year is the first of its kind since 2004, and the last time the club won its first three OVC matches was 2015.
After a 1-0 victory that featured a Meredith Nye game-winning goal in the 32nd minute in the season opener at Austin Peay, Tech showcased its flair for the dramatics in the last two affairs, scoring late on both occasions to collect narrow nods. Chloe Smith split the pipes in the 88th minute to break a scoreless deadlock and give the Golden Eagles a win at Morehead State on Mar. 9, while Gabby Garcia found the back of the net for her first career score four minutes into overtime in Friday's home opener that pushed the purple and gold to a 1-0 triumph over Eastern Illinois.
Defensively, TTU has held all three of its opponents to single-digit shots after EIU attempted only seven tries in Friday's affair. Morehead notched eight shots and Austin Peay tallied seven in the opener. The Golden Eagles have surrendered only 10 shots on-goal in the squad's trio of clashes.
Tech's early-season defensive success helped lead a pair of Golden Eagles to OVC hardware over the weekend, as freshman Selma Askildsen was recognized as the league's Defensive Player of the Week and senior Isabelle Austin was named the conference's Goalkeeper of the Week on Sunday. The duo of awards marked the second consecutive season in which Tech secured multiple awards in the same week after the club took home the conference's Offensive, Defensive and Goalkeeper of the Week accolades on Oct. 15, 2019.
Askildsen is one of three field players that hasn't left the pitch all season, joining sophomores Emily Carlevato and Macy Carter with 274 minutes under their belt this spring. As far as Austin is concerned, Tech's senior keeper has been between the pipes throughout the entirety of the year and has made 10 saves in the club's three contests.
A look at Belmont
The defending OVC Tournament champion, Belmont made history in 2019 after becoming the lowest seed to seize the title with a No. 6 seed in the field of eight. Following a 4-4-2 finish in conference play, the Bruins rattled off wins against Austin Peay, UT Martin, Murray State and SIUE in the championship match to capture the crown.
This spring's Bruins (1-3) began the year with a 2-1, overtime nod at Jacksonville State, but have since dropped three straight with losses to UT Martin, SEMO and Murray State. The club has managed just one goal in the three matches since the season-opening victory behind a Grace Parsons score Friday at Murray. The Brentwood, Tenn. product's first goal of the season unwrapped the scoring in the 22nd minute, but the Racers changed the tide with three unanswered goals to take the tilt, 3-1.
Keely Cartrett and Avery Nowak are responsible for the squad's other two net-finders, both coming in the opener at JSU. Nowak tied the contest after splitting the pipes in the 78th minute against the Gamecocks before Cartrett collected the game-winner with a goal three minutes into overtime.
Defensively, sophomore Sarah Doyle has allowed six goals in four matches, making 26 saves in the process for an .813 save-percentage this season.
Inside the series
Belmont holds a narrow edge in the all-time set thanks to a 10-9-2 advantage over the Golden Eagles. The Bruins got the better of Tech with a 1-0 triumph on Oct. 4, 2019 in Nashville in the last meeting of the set, snapping a five-match winning streak for the Golden Eagles that includes a 3-0 victory in the first round of the 2016 OVC Tournament.
Photo by Jim Dillon
