By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – It's back on the road for the Tennessee Tech soccer team, as the Golden Eagles will head to Liberty for the club's first and only Friday match of the regular season. Kickoff from Osborne Stadium in Lynchburg, Va. Is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT.
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
TTU's two tangles this year have seen the purple and gold check each the road and home column in the early stages of the regular season. The Golden Eagles (0-1-1) unwrapped the fall with a dramatic 1-1 draw at WKU on Aug. 17 in a match that saw Tech provide the equalizer in the 85th minute, before TTU dropped its home opener thanks to a 1-0 defeat to in-state foe Chattanooga on Sunday.
The Mocs scored in the 66th minute to break the scoreless deadlock in Cookeville, scoring on a corner to take the late edge. Both of Tech's goals allowed this season have come off of set pieces after WKU split the pipes in the 15th minute on a free kick just on the outskirts of the box.
TTU's lone score this year came courtesy of a set piece as well, with freshman Abigail Davis finding the back of the net off of a corner kick for the Knoxville native's first career goal. Sami Cullum helped set Davis up with a feed in the box for Cullum's first career assist.
Neve Renwick leads the purple and gold with seven shots and two shots on-goal through two tilts, while Katie Toney has five attempts over the pair of affairs. Maggie Conrad has made 11 saves in the early parts of 2023 and boasts a .846 save percentage. The junior out of Cedar Rapids, Iowa was particularly busy in Sunday's second half against Chattanooga, collecting five saves in the stanza.
The Golden Eagles are coming of a 2022 campaign that featured the program's second-ever OVC regular-season title and first since 1998. Tech hosted the OVC Tournament semifinals and championship match for the first time in program history, making the finals for the first time since 2009.
A look at Liberty
The Lady Flames (2-0-0) are off to a hot start behind back-to-back wins on the way to the program's first-ever 2-0 start to the season. The pair of victories over VCU and Delaware extended a school-record 15 match-unbeaten streak dating back to last year. The club's last official loss was a 3-2 defeat at Pitt on Sept. 11, 2022, although the Lady Flames were booted from the ASUN Tournament championship match last season, falling 4-3 in penalty kicks to Florida Gulf Coast.
Now members of Conference USA, Liberty has certainly made a splash in its new digs after the squad's recent selection to win the league. Goalkeeper Ainsley Leja, the 2022 ASUN Goalkeeper of the Year, and defender Bridie Herman, an ASUN All-Conference first teamer a year ago, were both chosen to the 2023 CUSA Preseason Team. Herman was also named a Preseason Co-Defensive Player of the Year.
Liberty's two tussles this year have seen the Lady Flames top VCU 2-1 in Richmond, Va. in a match that was postponed a day later until Aug. 18 due to inclement weather and knock off Delaware 1-0 in Sunday's home opener. Rachel DeRuby and Avenley Montieth found the back of the net in the season opener at VCU, while Ivy Garner scored the game-winning goal in the 16th minute in Sunday's narrow triumph over the Blue Hens. Chloe Marr has assisted on two of the club's three scores this season. Ainsley Leja has allowed one goal and made six stops for a .857 save percentage over the first two matches.
The Lady Flames posted a 14-3-4 overall record in 2022, going 8-0-2 in the program's final season as members of the ASUN.
Inside the series
Friday evening's get-together will mark only the third matchup in the all-time series between the two sides. Liberty captured the first meeting in the all-time set with a 1-0 win in an NCAA Tournament play-in match on Nov. 3, 2000. The Golden Eagles seized the last clash thanks to a 1-0 victory in the 2021 home opener on Aug. 22. Yao Giada Zhou scored the affair's lone goal in the 19th minute.
Photo by Jim Dillon
