By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – A sense of déjà vu struck the season opener for the Tennessee Tech soccer team, as the Golden Eagles once again provided a late equalizer to erase a 1-0 deficit against WKU on the way to forcing a dramatic 1-1 draw Thursday evening from the WKU Soccer Complex.
A year ago in Cookeville, it was Katie Toney who squared the score in the 81st minute against the Lady Toppers for her first career goal to force the eventual 1-1 knot. Thursday night followed a similar script with another freshman finding her first career score behind an Abigail Davis deadlocking net-finder in the 85th minute that propelled the purple and gold to the tie column in the club's first contest of 2023.
Davis' heroics were made possible by a fellow rookie, with freshman Tori Soutuyo starting the dramatics on a corner with just over five minutes remaining in regulation. Soutuyo's strike smacked a crowd in the center of the box, and after a deflection, Sami Cullum connected a beautiful ball to Davis, who took care of the rest with a top-shelf finish placed perfectly into the upper left corner of net to knot the score at 1-1. Cullum's feed led the Yorba Linda, Calif. native to her first career assist as a Golden Eagle.
"I am excited about the way we fought back and the resiliency we showed in forcing a tie on the road against a good WKU team," Tech head coach Steve Springthorpe said. "We did struggle for a bit in the first half and I thought we were a bit frantic in the first 20 minutes or so, but you can't say enough about the hard-fought effort of our team and I certainly can't complain about the passion we played with and the never-say-die attitude we showed out there. That takes you a long way in this sport. The x's and o's are of course crucial, but your ability to show resilience and respond to adversity can put you over the top and I thought we showed a great deal of that tonight. I'm excited about the end result and now we have to refocus for Sunday.
"As far as the goal is concerned, Abigail was in the right place and did her job by really driving that ball into the back of the net," Springthorpe continued. "It was great to see her have an impact in the 20 minutes that she played in what was her first career game. WKU scored its goal on a set piece and then we countered with one of our own, which as a coach you are happy to see."
Tech's tying theatrics were part of a second-half turnaround that saw the TTU (0-0-1) outshoot the Lady Toppers 4-3 after WKU had the upper hand in the first stanza behind a 9-2 advantage in attempts. The Golden Eagles also held a 4-2 edge in corners after intermission, following a WKU 5-1 discrepancy over the first 45 minutes.
"As you look the stats from the game, I think it shows that going forward we need to do a better job handling the early parts of the game, but I thought we settled down in the last 15-20 minutes of the first half and started figuring things out regarding their shape and what they were trying to do," Springthorpe noted. "I liked the way our team adjusted in the second half, but one of the things I am most proud of tonight was that it was a total team effort. Not only from the players in the game, but the energy on the bench really contributed to our success. We have some upperclassmen who weren't able to get on the field tonight due to being banged up, but they were vital in keeping our team excited and focused. Again, just a great team effort."
The Lady Toppers (0-0-1) unwrapped the scoring a third of the way into the affair, capitalizing on a TTU foul in the 15th minute that pushed the home side to the early edge. A lengthy WKU feed from midfield in essence started it all, with a soaring drive from the center line that allowed Brooke Sleeva to race toward the outskirts of the box in a bid to break the scoreless affair. Sleeva's chase was met by an oncoming Golden Eagle, who collided with the 5-foot-8 junior, causing a foul and giving the Lady Toppers a free kick from the edge of the box.
Katie Erwin delivered on the set-piece chance, sending a rope to the upper right corner of the net for the tilt's first goal. Erwin would go on to tie Sleeva and Kayla Meyer for the most shots by a Lady Topper with three tries apiece. Neve Renwick impressed in her collegiate debut with a Golden Eagle best three shots, including one of Tech's two attempts on-goal.
Maggie Conrad collected five saves in her season debut between the pipes, while WKU's Maddie Davis made one stop.
"Maggie was key for us in the first half when they were bringing some pressure and made a great save to keep us in it," Springthorpe remarked. "But I also thought our back line was a big part in tonight's success. I thought both Macy [Carter] and Selma [Askildsen] were huge in keeping our defense together and showed their experience out there. Selma was outstanding tonight and played like the captain that she is. Between sweeping things up and limiting a lot of chances, Selma really stepped up. WKU is an athletic, aggressive team and although our back line bent a little bit, they didn't break and ultimately showed a lot of resiliency."
The Golden Eagles will now set their sights on their 2023 home opener, welcoming in-state foe Chattanooga to Tech Soccer Field for a Sunday evening affair with the Mocs. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. CT and admission is free of charge.
"I'm really looking forward to our match on Sunday against Chattanooga," Springthorpe said. "That's always a great rivalry game against an in-state opponent that we play every year. Our team can't wait to get out in front of our fans and on our field for the first time this season. I think it has the chance to be a great game."
Photo by Jim Dillon
