By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech soccer team is gearing up for the second-to-last week of the regular season with a trip up north for a pair of crucial conference contests in the Land of Lincoln. The Golden Eagles will unwrap their final road swing of the regular year with a Thursday afternoon affair at Eastern Illinois. Kickoff from Lakeside Field in Charleston is set for 3 p.m. CT.
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
With three matches remaining in the regular season, Golden Eagles (4-7-5, 4-1-1 OVC) enter the pivotal tilt with the Panthers on a five-match unbeaten streak that has featured four wins and a draw during the surge. After rolling out a four-match winning stretch that saw the purple and gold outscore the opposition 10-1 in the quartet of contests, Tech played SIUE to a 1-1 draw in its last affair on Sunday in Cookeville.
Katie Toney opened the scoring in the 63rd minute for her sixth goal of the season to account for TTU's lone goal, but the Golden Eagles were unable to make the margin stand after the Cougars squared things up in the 85th minute. The tie took Tech to a third-place standing in the OVC thanks to 13 points. Lindenwood and Little Rock are currently sitting in a knot for first behind 14 points and identical 4-0-2 conference records.
Toney's go-ahead goal marked her fifth-consecutive contest with at least two points registered. The McMinnville, Tenn. native has scored a goal in four of the last five matches to go along with a two-assist showing in Tech's 4-1 victory at Southern Indiana on Oct. 6. Toney's six scores are tied for third in the OVC, while her 16 points are good enough for second in the conference.
Neve Renwick currently leads the conference in both categories behind nine goals and 20 points. The Sheffield, England product's nine scores currently put her in a tie for sixth on the all-time single-season goal list. Renwick's next goal will tie her with Robin Vince (2001) for fifth. The sophomore forward also leads the league with 70 shots and 30 attempts on-frame.
Lucia Cuadra is tied for first in the conference with five assists. The graduate student out of Barcelona, Spain has tallied all five helpers over the last five matches. Skyler Williams'' four assists puts her in a tie for fifth in the league.
Overall, Tech's 25 goals scored are the most by any team in the OVC. Lindenwood, Little Rock and Morehead State have each split the pipes 17 times to tie for the second-most goals this season.
Maggie Conrad has yielded three goals in six OVC matches. The Cedar Rapids, Iowa native has posted three clean sheets during league action as well. Her 87 overall stops are the second-most in the conference.
A look at Eastern Illinois
The Panthers (4-6-5, 2-2-2 OVC) entertain Tech on the heels of their most successful showing of the season thanks to a 4-0 home triumph over Western Illinois on Sunday. Abby Reinl and Alex Tetteh each collected a pair of goals in the win, while goalkeeper Ella Kratochvil posted two saves en route to the clean sheet.
Reinl and Tetteh have proven to be a formidable offensive duo with the pair combining for 13 of the club's 16 goals this season. Reinl's seven goals trail only Renwick for the second-most scores in the conference, while Tetteh's six goals are tied for the third-most in the league.
As far as Kratochvil is concerned, the Wind Lake, Wis. product has started the last five matches for her only appearances of the season. The 5-foot-11 sophomore has yielded four scores to go along with 25 saves for a 0.80 goals against average and a 0.862 save percentage during her five starting assignments.
At 2-2-2 in OVC play, EIU's eight points puts them in a tie with Southern Indiana for fifth place.
Inside the series
Thursday's get-together will mark the 36th meeting in the all-time series. The Panthers led the set 19-9-7, but the purple and gold have claimed five-straight wins in the series. Tech secured a 3-1 nod in last year's meeting in Cookeville to go along with a 1-0 triumph in 2022 in the last Charleston meeting.
Photo by Jim Dillon
