By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The last two seasons have proved that the road to the Ohio Valley Conference women's soccer championship goes through Cookeville.
The league sees that trend happening again in 2024 as the Tennessee Tech women's soccer team was picked to finish first in the OVC once again.
The Golden Eagles earned 12 of the 20 first-place votes for 153 total points, topping SIUE by 12 points with the Cougars' six first-place votes. Morehead State took the other two top spots on the ballot as the Eagles were picked third.
"One of the first things we addressed in our team meetings is 'Where do we want to go?'" said first-year head coach Corey Boyd during the OVC's media day call on Thursday. "We've had a little bit of success the past two years and what's next? What can we achieve? I'm a very ambitious person, but we put it on the team and asked, 'What do you want and how do we need to get there?'
"The girls have really bought into that so far. It's a long road and it's going to take some time, but they're up for the challenge. In the end, we want to get to the NCAA Tournament and find away. It was heartbreaking the last two years in different forms. We had some significant injuries that caught us off-guard in both matches. Believe it or not, we had a really significant one right before kickoff (in the OVC championship match) and we started to wonder if it's really going to happen. I believe it will and it's given them the focus, direction and desire to keep on that track."
Little Rock and Southern Indiana rounded out the top five, while UT Martin, Southeast Missouri, Eastern Illinois, Lindenwood and Western Illinois completed the remainder of the preseason poll.
In addition to the top pick, junior forward Katie Toney was selected for the league's Players to Watch for 2024. The reigning OVC Forward of the Year and all-conference first-teamer, the McMinnville, Tenn., native started all 19 matches last season, finishing second in the conference with six goals and leading all players in the OVC with seven assists. She was a second-team selection to the United Soccer Coaches All-South Region team.
"Katie is a very humble kid," Boyd said. "I don't think awards really matter to her and it's just who she is inside and out. She's going to train hard. She's going out there with the cones and having her own sessions, trying to finish or trying to create – just trying to make herself a better player. She's a really special kid in a multitude of ways. She's a captain this year as well and we're excited about her leadership."
The Golden Eagles went 9-6-4 last season with a challenging slate, going 0-4-2 in the first six matches of the season, but caught fire with just one loss the rest of the way in the regular season. Tech went 7-1-1 in OVC play for its second straight regular-season title and the right to host the conference tournament. The Golden Eagles defeated Little Rock 2-0 in the semifinal, but dropped a double-overtime, 1-0 decision to Morehead State in the championship match.
It's a different look for the Golden Eagles as Boyd enters his first season as the head coach of the Tech program. Entering his 15th campaign with the program, he'll take over from Steve Springthorpe, who recently joined the administration side of the department as the Executive Assistant to Director of Athletics Mark Wilson.
Tech lost two of its double-digit point scorers from last season with Yao Giada Zhou (seven goals, six assists, 34 shots) and Bailey Taylor (five goals, four assists, 32 shots) wrapping up their Purple and Gold careers, while also seeing defenders Selma Askildsen, Emily Carlevato and Macy Carter wrap up storied tenures.
That said, there is a lot coming back and coming in for the Golden Eagles. In addition to Toney, Tech also brings back an offensive threat in sophomore Neve Renwick, who led the conference in shots (79) and shots on goal (32) en route to the league's Freshman of the Year honor. The Golden Eagles also have veteran leadership from midfielder Meredith Nye (three goals, one assist). Tech also added an exciting midfielder in Lucia Cuadra, who had a strong career at Texas A&M International.
The defensive backfield will be a bit younger with four freshmen – Anna Baker, Ebba Melin, Delaney Wade and Angelina Horin – while sophomores Abigail Davis and Sam Schroeffel, Chattanooga transfer Claire Palya and senior Bella Garrett bring experience there.
In goal, Maggie Conrad returns for her third season with the Golden Eagles as she continues a strong tradition of Tech goalkeepers. Last season, Conrad posted a 9-5-4 record with 18 goals allowed (a 1.04 goals allowed average) and 86 saves (.827 in net). The nine wins tied her for the fifth most in a single season in program history.
"We're a young team," Boyd said. "We're bringing a lot of key pieces back, but there's a lot of youth on the team. That's exciting because they have a ton of energy, but they still have a lot to learn. They're up for that. They take things on really well and the way they do it makes them a joy to be around."
Tech will head to Georgia for an exhibition game on Saturday at 11 a.m. Eastern/10 a.m. Central. The Golden Eagles open their regular season on August 15 at Samford, then open the home slate on August 18 as Miami (Ohio) comes in for a 1 p.m. contest.
All games at Tech Soccer Field are free admission.
Fans can follow the Tech women's soccer team on social media -- @TTUSoccer on X (formerly Twitter), tntechsoccer on Instagram and Tennessee Tech Soccer on Facebook.
