By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – With over half the spring season now in the rearview mirror, the Tennessee Tech soccer team returns home for a Friday evening get-together with UT Martin. First kick with the Skyhawks scheduled for 7 p.m. CT.
Admission at Tech Soccer Field is free of charge. Fans will be required to socially 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.
Due to a change in the TTU Athletics' spring scheduling, the match will no longer be streamed as originally planned. Fans can still follow the action via live stats. Click here to view.
A look at Tennessee Tech
A seesaw spring for the purple and gold, Tech (3-3-0) started its season with three consecutive 1-0 nods in victories over Austin Peay, Morehead State and Eastern Illinois, but the Golden Eagles have since dropped three 1-0 matches in a row. Tech's tough stretch, which has featured clashes against three of the league's top four teams, saw the club fall at home to Belmont, at Southeast Missouri and at Murray State.
Defensively, the Golden Eagles sit atop the OVC in fewest goals allowed (3) and goals against average (0.50). The squad's three shutouts are tied for second in the league, and Isabelle Austin's robust .906 save percentage is tops in the conference as well.
TTU's trio of scores have come from Meredith Nye, Gabby Garcia and Chloe Smith. Smith's goal occurred in the 88th minute at Morehead State on Mar. 9, while Garcia found the back of the net four minutes into overtime in Tech's home opener against EIU on Mar. 12. Nye split the pipes in the 32nd minute to break a scoreless contest in the season opener at Austin Peay on Mar. 2.
Smith is the Tech leader in shots with 16 and shots on-goal with nine. Cassidy Bereda is the only other Golden Eagle to hit the double-digit plateau with 11 total shots, four of which are on-point.
Freshman Selma Askildsen and sophomore Emily Carlevato are the only two Tech field players to not leave the pitch at any point this season. The youthful duo have tallied 544 minutes apiece.
A look at UT Martin
Following a 2-0 start with wins over Eastern Illinois and Belmont, the Skyhawks (2-3-1) have gone winless over their last four contests behind three losses and a draw. The club most recently played to a 1-1 tie on Tuesday against Jacksonville State.
Alice Adams buried her first goal of the season to become the fourth different Skyhawk to put one into the back of the net. Emely van der Vliet, Lotte Koot and Skylar Boes have each split the pipes as well this season. Hendrikje Baurmann leads the club with three assists.
Erica Myers, a two-time OVC Goalkeeper of the Week in 2019, has appeared in each and every minute in goal this season for the Skyhawks. The 5-foot-10 senior has tallied 22 saves and has yielded six goals for a .786 save percentage and a 0.95 goals against average.
UT Martin was selected to finish fourth in the OVC's predicted order of finish. The squad finished in third place in 2019 with a 6-2-2 conference ledger after a perfect league campaign in 2018 with a 9-0-1 mark.
Inside the Series
UT Martin leads the all-time series, 13-10-1, which includes a 2-1 victory in Tech's 2019 regular-season home finale. The Golden Eagles last captured the battle of the birds in 2017 with a 1-0 nod in the regular-season finale on Oct. 22.
Photo by Jim Dillon
