Golden Eagles shut down Redhawks for 1-0 OVC victory
Andrea Meloff's first period goal stood up as the Tennessee Tech soccer team blanked Southeast Missouri Friday afternoon to open a four-match homestand. Freshman keeper Becca Toler recorded the shutout as the Golden Eagles posted their first Ohio Valley Conference victory.
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – In a notably physical game played primarily in the midfield, the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles took down a frontrunner for the the OVC no. 2 spot, Southeast Missouri. The Redhawks racked up 17 fouls on Tech while both teams combined for only 13 shots throughout the entire game.
In spite of the time spent in the midfield, sophomore Andrea Meloff broke through the Redhawk line of defense to notch her fourth goal of the season in the 55th minute of the game, giving the Golden Eagles the lead going into halftime and the eventual well-earned, albeit slim 1-0 win.
Of Tech's 6 total shots, two of which fell on net, Meloff contributed two including her goal, while four other Golden Eagles notched one shot apiece. The Golden Eagle defense, however, comprised of one player from each class year, held the Redhawks to seven shots on the game, their lowest opponent shot total of the season.
Sophomore Leigh Heffner anchored the backfield, clearing nearly all of Tech's free kicks while freshman Taylor Hicks, junior Lindsey Reed and senior Taren Brown launched the Golden Eagle attacking game out of Tech's half.
Freshman Becca Toler earned her second career shutout, earning two saves over 90 minutes. SEMO keeper Ashton Aubuchon also recorded two saves on the day.
"This win has been a long time coming for us," first-year coach Daniel Brizard said. "It's taken us a lot of the season to put all the pieces together for a full 90 minutes, and today we were able to do that.
"It was great to come through with a win in front of our fans during the home stretch of the season," Brizard continued. "The team is loving being back in Cookeville, and we're definitely hoping to carry this momentum through Sunday's game."
Sunday afternoon's 2 p.m. contest will put Tech, now 3-11/1-4, toe-to-toe with the Panthers of Eastern Illinois.
