By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Athletics Media Relations
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The third week of the regular season for the Tennessee Tech soccer team kicks off with a Thursday evening home affair with East Tennessee State. The in-state clash with the Buccaneers is slated to start at 5:30 p.m. CT.
Admission to Tech Soccer Field is free of charge. The match will be livestreamed on ESPN+. Click here to watch. Live stats will also be available. Click here to view.
A look at Tennessee Tech
The Golden Eagles (0-4-0) head into the battle with the Bucs searching for their first win of the season after starting the campaign with a rigorous non-conference slate over the first four contests. The four opponents Tech has already squared off with have a combined record of 9-4-1 in the season's early stages.
The Golden Eagles are coming off their closest defeat of the year in the club's last contest with a 1-0 loss at Murray State on Sunday. Scoreless nearly midway through the second half, the Racers split the pipes in the 65th minute for the tilt's only goal.
Tech did manage a season-high 11 shots as well as a season-best five attempts on-goal. Lucia Cuadra paced the purple and gold with three tries, including two on-frame. Claire Palya also produced a pair on-point.
Cuadra leads the Golden Eagles with five shots this season, while Tori Soutuyo is second on the squad with four total attempts.
Tech's tangle with ETSU will mark the third match over the first five against a school from the Volunteer State. The Golden Eagles already faced off with Lipscomb on Sept. 14 and No. 11 Vanderbilt on Sept. 21. Tech will also clash with Chattanooga on Sept. 4 and will be at Middle Tennessee on Sept. 11 to round out its in-state, non-conference slate.
A look at ETSU
After a win at North Alabama and a draw against UAB, the Buccaneers (1-2-1) have dropped their last two matches with a 2-1 defeat at Kentucky on Aug. 21 and a 2-0 loss to Eastern Kentucky on Sunday. The loss to UK saw the Wildcats break a 1-1 deadlock late with a goal in the 89th minute to go ahead 2-1. Sunday's match against EKU was also decided late with two Colonel goals after the 70th minute to break a scoreless knot.
Reagan Fitzgerald is responsible for two of the club's three goals this year, including the team's lone game-winning strike behind a score in the 20th minute in a 1-0 victory at North Alabama on Aug. 14. Alex Beck has the team's other goal thanks to a 57th-minute equalizer in the narrow loss to Kentucky.
Addison Yelton has spent the entire time in goal for the Bucs this season, appearing in all 360 minutes of action. The red-shirt sophomore out of Johnson City has allowed five goals to go along with nine saves for a 1.25 goals against average and a .643 save percentage.
ETSU was picked to finish seventh out of 10 schools in the Southern Conference's preseason rankings. The Bucs went 4-8-4 last year with a 3-3-3 conference mark. The team lost 2-1 to Furman in the SoCon Tournament quarterfinals to seal the deal on the campaign.
Inside the series
The Golden Eagles hold a narrow 7-6-6 edge in the all-time series. The two teams played to a 1-1 draw in the last meeting on Aug. 31, 2023 in Cookeville.
