By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Athletics Media Relations
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – A brief week of action featuring only one match is in the cards for the Tennessee Tech soccer team as the Golden Eagles head to Lindenwood for a Sunday afternoon contest against the Lions. The match pitting the reigning OVC regular-season champion, Tech, against the reigning OVC Tournament champ, Lindenwood, is slated to start at noon CT.
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 (1-6-6, 1-0-2 OVC) enter Sunday's pivotal battle fresh off the club's first victory of the year behind a 6-1 triumph over Western Illinois on Sept. 28 in Cookeville. Tech's six-goal output tied for the sixth-most scores in a match in program history and was the most since finding the back of the net seven times in a 7-0 victory over Southern Indiana on Sept. 24, 2023.
Lucia Cuadra put her name in rarified air in the victory over the Leathernecks after recording the program's ninth hat trick and first since Chloe Smith accomplished the feat in a 5-0 nod over Lindenwood in the OVC Tournament semifinals on Nov. 4, 2022. Cuadra became the sixth different Golden Eagle to score three goals in a match with TTU Sports Hall of Famer Jill Burns serving as the only player in school history to do it more than once behind four hat tricks.
Cuadra's piece of program history took place swiftly with all three goals occurring in an 11-and-a-half-minute span early in the first half. The graduate student out of Barcelona, Spain found the back of the net in the 9th, 15th and 20th minutes. Cuadra's trio of scores were her first three of the year and moved the 5-foot-2 midfielder into the team lead in goals.
Claire Palya, Reagan Smiley and Allison Lee also notched goals in the win over WIU. Palya and Smiley picked up their first scores of the year, while Lee collected her second goal to tie Natalie Howard for second-most on the team.
Howard was one of five different Golden Eagles to notch assists in the victory, joining Melina Hamm, Katie Toney, Anna Baker and Cheyenne McCloud. Howard, Hamm and McCloud lead the club with two helpers apiece.
Maggie Conrad's first win of the season marked the senior keeper's 24th career victory. The Cedar Rapids, Iowa product is now four nods back of Carly King (2001-04) for the second-most wins in program history. Conrad earned her second clean sheet of the season, and 19th in her career, in Tech's last road contest with a scoreless draw at SIUE on Sept. 25.
The Golden Eagles are currently one of four teams undefeated in OVC play. Tech's five points thanks to a win and two draws place the purple and gold in a knot with Little Rock for fourth place in the league.
A look at Lindenwood
The Lions (5-3-3, 2-1-0 OVC) are currently in third place in the OVC a third of the way into the conference campaign. Lindenwood's six points are courtesy of a 1-0 home win over SEMO in the OVC opener on Sept. 21 and a 3-0 triumph at Morehead State in the club's last clash on Sept. 28.
Anna Johnson, Allison Schrumpf and Mackenzie Compton all split the pipes in the win over Morehead. The trio join Tasneem Dizdarevic as Lions with more than goal this season. Johnson and Schrumpf each have three goals, while Compton and Dizdarevic have found the back of the net twice.
Defensively, Lindenwood is tied with Eastern Illinois for the most shutouts in the conference thanks to six clean sheets. Lion keeper Caroline Ritter is third in the OVC in both save percentage at .848 and goals against average at 0.91.
Sunday's matchup features a battle between the top two teams in terms of the OVC's Predicted Order of Finish. The Golden Eagles were chosen to win the league with 14 first-place votes, while Lindenwood was tabbed to finish in second behind six first-place votes. No other team in the conference earned a first-place vote.
Inside the series
Sunday's match will mark the fifth meeting in the all-time series. Tech has a 3-0-1 lead in the previous four gatherings, which includes a triumph in a "for all the marbles" get-together in last year's regular-season finale at Tech Soccer Field. With the OVC's regular-season title up for grabs, the Golden Eagles collected a 2-0 win to capture their third-consecutive regular-season crown.
Photo: Thomas Corhern, TTU Media Relations
