By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – As the calendar flips to September, the Tennessee Tech soccer team will greet the month with a home match Sunday night against Columbia. Kickoff in the first-ever meeting between the two schools is set for 6 p.m. CT.
Admission to Tech Soccer Field is free of charge. The match will be streamed live on ESPN+. Click here to watch. Live stats will also be available. Click here to view.
A look at Tennessee Tech
The Golden Eagles (0-4-1) will secure a lid on the third week of the regular season following a 1-0 loss Thursday at No. 22 Mississippi State in Tech's first tangle with an SEC opponent in two years. The nationally-ranked Bulldogs broke a scoreless deadlock with a goal in the 63rd minute, but TTU's defense held them to just the one score on the way to a season-low in goals allowed by the purple and gold.
Junior goalkeeper Maggie Conrad notched five saves to run her total to an OVC-leading 33 this fall. The Cedar Rapids, Iowa native has halted 23 attempts in the last three matches, which includes a career-high tying 10 denials in Tech's last home match against Saint Mary's on Aug. 22.
Offensively, four different Golden Eagles have found the back of the net, led by Neve Renwick's two goals. The sophomore forward out of Sheffield, England is currently knotted for second in the conference with 14 total shots and is tied for tops in the league with eight bids on-goal.
Allison Lee, Anna Baker and Cheyenne McCloud are responsible for the other three Tech scores. Baker and Lee each split the pipes in a narrow loss at Middle Tennessee on Aug. 25 that saw each Golden Eagle put one home in the final minute of each half. Baker's first career net-finder in her first career match occurred in the 45th minute, while Lee's fourth-career goal took place in the 90th minute.
McCloud's goal helped lead TTU to its lone point this season thanks to an equalizer in the 81st minute in the club's home opener against Miami (OH) on Aug. 18.
Meredith Nye is the team leader among field players in minutes played behind 446 minutes on the pitch. The four-time All-OVC recipient has gone all 90 minutes in four-straight matches.
A look at Columbia
The Lions (0-1-1) have played only two contests in 2024, with the squad posting a scoreless draw in its opener against Hofstra on Aug. 23 before falling 3-0 at Vanderbilt in the first of its two tilts in Tennessee on Friday. The Commodores scored a pair of first-half goals behind scores in the 24th and 37th minutes before wrapping up their offensive attack with a 56th-minute goal to go up 3-0.
Columbia did outshoot Vandy 7-6 in the second half after the Dores held an 11-3 edge in the first. Sophia Cavaliere and Maia Tabion each attempted two shots to lead the team. After recording a shutout in the season opener, despite not having to make a save in the affair with Hofstra, Lauren Rodriguez picked up three stops on Friday.
The Lions are coming off their best season in school history on the way to securing their second-ever bid to the NCAA Tournament. Columbia made the most of its appearance with a 2-1 win over Rutgers that saw the club erase a 1-0 deficit with two goals in the final 12 minutes to claim the program's first-ever win in the NCAA Tournament. The Lions went 11-5-3 overall for the team's most wins since 2008.
Inside the series
Sunday's match will mark the first time the two schools will meet on the pitch. The Golden Eagles will be playing their third first-time opponent in the last five affairs after first-time encounters with Miami (OH) on Aug. 18 and Saint Mary's on Aug. 22.
Photo by Jim Dillon
