Claire Palya
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- Height:
- 5-10
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- Hometown:
- Knoxville, Tenn.
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- Position:
- D/MF
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- Year:
- R-Jr.
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- Previous School:
- Chattanooga
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- g
- 2
-
- a
- 1
-
- pts
- 5
-
- gw
- 0
Bio
2024 (R-Sophomore): Palya provided the purple and gold a productive first season in Cookeville, playing in all 20 matches with 16 starts…notched 1,496 minutes for fifth most among non-goalkeepers…started the final 14 matches of the year and did not leave the pitch at any point over those 14 contests…scored a goal, picked up two points and collected 17 shots on the year…registered two shots and played all 90 minutes vs. Belmont on Sept. 12…scored lone goal of the season in a 4-1 win at Southern Indiana on Oct. 6…attempted two shots and played all 90 minutes in a 1-1 draw against SIUE on Oct. 13…took two shots and appeared in all 90 minutes in a 3-1 triumph at Western Illinois on Oct. 20…produced a season-best three shots and played all 110 minutes against Morehead State in the OVC Tournament semifinals on Nov. 7.
2023 (Sophomore – Chattanooga): Palya did not play during the 2023 season.
2022 (Freshman – Chattanooga): Palya did not play during the 2022…member of the Mocs first Southern Conference championship team.
High School: Palya attended Hardin Valley Academy…three-time All-State selection…three-time All-District and All-Region first-team selection…2020 All-Prepxtra Team…2020 All-5star Preps Team…helped guide team to 2019 District 4-AAA championship and 2018 District and Region 4-AAA runner-up…member of the National Honors Society.
Club/ODP Experience: Palya played club for FC Alliance ECNL from 2017-22.
Personal: Daughter of Paul and Candice Palya…mother played field hockey for College of Wooster…born November 25, 2003 in Baltimore, Md…full name is Claire Elizabeth Palya.
|   | Overall | Conference |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 22 | 9 |
| Games started | 22 | 9 |
| Goals | 2 | 2 |
| Assists | 1 | 0 |
| Points | 5 | 4 |
| Shots | 9 | 5 |
| Shot Pct | .222 | .400 |
| Penalty kicks | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Game-winning goals | 0 | 0 |
Game Log - Scoring
| Date | Opponent | Score | gp | gs | g | a | pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 8 | at Mercer | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Aug 14 | Lipscomb | L, 2-0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 17 | at South Alabama | L, 2-0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 21 | Vanderbilt | L, 6-0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 24 | at Murray State | L, 1-0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 28 | ETSU | T, 1-1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Aug 31 | at Miami (OH) | L, 3-0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 4 | Chattanooga | T, 2-2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 7 | at Kennesaw State | T, 0-0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 11 | at Middle Tennessee | T, 2-2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 14 | North Alabama | L, 1-0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 21 | Little Rock | T, 1-1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 25 | at SIUE | T, 0-0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 28 | Western Illinois | W, 6-1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Oct 5 | at Lindenwood | W, 4-1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Oct 9 | at Morehead State | W, 4-1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 12 | UT Martin | T, 1-1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 16 | Southern Indiana | W, 2-0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 19 | at Southeast Missouri | W, 1-0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 26 | Eastern Illinois | W, 2-0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 6 | Southern Indiana | T, 0-0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 9 | Lindenwood | W, 2-0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 14 | at Vanderbilt | L, 2-0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Game Log - Shooting
| Date | Opponent | Score | gp | sh | sh% | sog | sog% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 8 | at Mercer | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Aug 14 | Lipscomb | L, 2-0 | 1 | 0 | - | 0 | - |
| Aug 17 | at South Alabama | L, 2-0 | 1 | 0 | - | 0 | - |
| Aug 21 | Vanderbilt | L, 6-0 | 1 | 0 | - | 0 | - |
| Aug 24 | at Murray State | L, 1-0 | 1 | 2 | .000 | 2 | 1.000 |
| Aug 28 | ETSU | T, 1-1 | 1 | 0 | - | 0 | - |
| Aug 31 | at Miami (OH) | L, 3-0 | 1 | 0 | - | 0 | - |
| Sep 4 | Chattanooga | T, 2-2 | 1 | 1 | .000 | 1 | 1.000 |
| Sep 7 | at Kennesaw State | T, 0-0 | 1 | 0 | - | 0 | - |
| Sep 11 | at Middle Tennessee | T, 2-2 | 1 | 0 | - | 0 | - |
| Sep 14 | North Alabama | L, 1-0 | 1 | 1 | .000 | 1 | 1.000 |
| Sep 21 | Little Rock | T, 1-1 | 1 | 0 | - | 0 | - |
| Sep 25 | at SIUE | T, 0-0 | 1 | 0 | - | 0 | - |
| Sep 28 | Western Illinois | W, 6-1 | 1 | 2 | .500 | 1 | .500 |
| Oct 5 | at Lindenwood | W, 4-1 | 1 | 1 | 1.000 | 1 | 1.000 |
| Oct 9 | at Morehead State | W, 4-1 | 1 | 0 | - | 0 | - |
| Oct 12 | UT Martin | T, 1-1 | 1 | 0 | - | 0 | - |
| Oct 16 | Southern Indiana | W, 2-0 | 1 | 2 | .000 | 1 | .500 |
| Oct 19 | at Southeast Missouri | W, 1-0 | 1 | 0 | - | 0 | - |
| Oct 26 | Eastern Illinois | W, 2-0 | 1 | 0 | - | 0 | - |
| Nov 6 | Southern Indiana | T, 0-0 | 1 | 0 | - | 0 | - |
| Nov 9 | Lindenwood | W, 2-0 | 1 | 0 | - | 0 | - |
| Nov 14 | at Vanderbilt | L, 2-0 | 1 | 0 | - | 0 | - |
Game Log - Misc.
| Date | Opponent | Score | gp | yc | rc | pk | gw |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 8 | at Mercer | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Aug 14 | Lipscomb | L, 2-0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Aug 17 | at South Alabama | L, 2-0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Aug 21 | Vanderbilt | L, 6-0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Aug 24 | at Murray State | L, 1-0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Aug 28 | ETSU | T, 1-1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Aug 31 | at Miami (OH) | L, 3-0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Sep 4 | Chattanooga | T, 2-2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Sep 7 | at Kennesaw State | T, 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Sep 11 | at Middle Tennessee | T, 2-2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Sep 14 | North Alabama | L, 1-0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Sep 21 | Little Rock | T, 1-1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Sep 25 | at SIUE | T, 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Sep 28 | Western Illinois | W, 6-1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Oct 5 | at Lindenwood | W, 4-1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Oct 9 | at Morehead State | W, 4-1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Oct 12 | UT Martin | T, 1-1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Oct 16 | Southern Indiana | W, 2-0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Oct 19 | at Southeast Missouri | W, 1-0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Oct 26 | Eastern Illinois | W, 2-0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Nov 6 | Southern Indiana | T, 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Nov 9 | Lindenwood | W, 2-0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Nov 14 | at Vanderbilt | L, 2-0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Statistic | gp | gs | g | a | pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event | |||||
| Total | 22 | 22 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| Conference | 9 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Exhibition | - | - | - | - | 0 |
| Location | |||||
| Home | 12 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Away | 10 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Neutral | - | - | - | - | 0 |
| Result | |||||
| Wins | 7 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Losses | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Month | |||||
| August | 6 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| September | 7 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| October | 6 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| November | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Statistic | gp | sh/g | sh%/g | sog/g | sog%/g |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event | |||||
| Total | 22 | .41 | .222 | .32 | .778 |
| Conference | 9 | .56 | .400 | .33 | .600 |
| Exhibition | - | - | - | - | - |
| Location | |||||
| Home | 12 | .50 | .167 | .33 | .667 |
| Away | 10 | .30 | .333 | .30 | 1.000 |
| Neutral | - | - | - | - | - |
| Result | |||||
| Wins | 7 | .71 | .400 | .43 | .600 |
| Losses | 7 | .43 | .000 | .43 | 1.000 |
| Month | |||||
| August | 6 | .33 | .000 | .33 | 1.000 |
| September | 7 | .57 | .250 | .43 | .750 |
| October | 6 | .50 | .333 | .33 | .667 |
| November | 3 | .00 | - | .00 | - |
| Statistic | gp | sh | sh% | sog | sog% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event | |||||
| Total | 22 | 9 | .222 | 7 | .778 |
| Conference | 9 | 5 | .400 | 3 | .600 |
| Exhibition | - | - | - | - | - |
| Location | |||||
| Home | 12 | 6 | .167 | 4 | .667 |
| Away | 10 | 3 | .333 | 3 | 1.000 |
| Neutral | - | - | - | - | - |
| Result | |||||
| Wins | 7 | 5 | .400 | 3 | .600 |
| Losses | 7 | 3 | .000 | 3 | 1.000 |
| Month | |||||
| August | 6 | 2 | .000 | 2 | 1.000 |
| September | 7 | 4 | .250 | 3 | .750 |
| October | 6 | 3 | .333 | 2 | .667 |
| November | 3 | 0 | - | 0 | - |
| Statistic | gp | yc | rc | pk | gw |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event | |||||
| Total | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Conference | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Exhibition | - | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | - |
| Location | |||||
| Home | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Away | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Neutral | - | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | - |
| Result | |||||
| Wins | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Losses | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Month | |||||
| August | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| September | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| October | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| November | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Statistic | gp | gs | g/g | a/g | pts/g |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event | |||||
| Total | 22 | 22 | .09 | .05 | .23 |
| Conference | 9 | 9 | .22 | .00 | .44 |
| Exhibition | - | - | - | - | - |
| Location | |||||
| Home | 12 | 12 | .08 | .08 | .25 |
| Away | 10 | 10 | .10 | .00 | .20 |
| Neutral | - | - | - | - | - |
| Result | |||||
| Wins | 7 | 7 | .29 | .00 | .57 |
| Losses | 7 | 7 | .00 | .00 | .00 |
| Month | |||||
| August | 6 | 6 | .00 | .17 | .17 |
| September | 7 | 7 | .14 | .00 | .29 |
| October | 6 | 6 | .17 | .00 | .33 |
| November | 3 | 3 | .00 | .00 | .00 |
News mentions
The Tennessee Tech soccer team is back in the NCAA Tournament as the Golden Eagles are set to make their triumphant return to the big dance with a first-round Friday battle at No. 1 Vanderbilt. Kickoff at Vanderbilt Soccer Complex in Nashville is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT.
Tech Soccer Field will once again be the sight where a champion is crowned and a ticket to the NCAA Tournament is punched.
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – Purple and gold once again reigned supreme on the OVC’s postseason honors list as the Tennessee Tech soccer team boasted a huge haul with a league-leading 10 accolades to tie the program record.
A pair of Golden Eagles found themselves on the final installment of the conference’s weekly honors as Ebba Melin and Maggie Conrad were both honored for their efforts in Sunday’s 2-0 win over Eastern Illinois.
A chance for a championship and a significant piece of OVC history is on the line in Sunday’s regular-season finale for the Tennessee Tech soccer team.
Following a strong weekend on the pitch, the Tennessee Tech soccer team took home some hardware as Golden Eagle red-shirt junior Claire Palya was recognized as the Ohio Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Week Tuesday afternoon.
A crucial conference contest awaits the Tennessee Tech soccer team as the Golden Eagles host Southern Indiana in the third-to-last match of the regular season Thursday evening.
A dramatic goal in the waning moments of regulation brought the Tennessee Tech soccer team back and forced a 1-1 draw in Sunday’s in-state showdown with UT Martin.
The Tennessee Tech soccer team is set to jump past the halfway point of its conference campaign with a Thursday match at Morehead State.
ST. CHARLES, Mo. – Natalie Howard claimed two scores on Sunday afternoon as she helped lead Tennessee Tech to a decisive 4-1 victory over Lindenwood to pick up the first back-to-back victories for the Golden Eagles this season and improve to 2-0-2 in the Ohio Valley Conference. After scoring five goals in non-conference competition, Tech (2-6-6 overall) has scored 10 goals in its last two games to triple its offensive output.
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 Tennessee Tech soccer team scored early and scored often as part of a dominating performance in a 6-1 victory over Western Illinois for Tech’s first win of the season.
The first two-match week of the conference campaign comes to a close on Sunday as the Golden Eagles welcome Western Illinois to town for an afternoon kickoff in Cookeville.
Fresh off the 2025 OVC opener, the Tennessee Tech soccer team will now turn its attention to the club’s first road conference clash of the year with a Thursday-evening match at SIUE.
The Tennessee Tech soccer team will take its first step in the road to defending its Ohio Valley Conference regular-season three-peat as the Golden Eagles will host Little Rock in Sunday’s league opener.
A late North Alabama goal proved to be the difference in the Tennessee Tech soccer team’s non-conference finale as the Lions scored with just over five minutes left to eek out a 1-0 victory on Tech’s Senior Day.
The Tennessee Tech soccer team will tie a ribbon on its non-conference campaign with a Sunday home match against North Alabama.
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech soccer team found themselves in another knot Thursday evening as the Golden Eagles played Middle Tennessee to a 2-2 draw for the club’s third-consecutive tie in TTU’s final road non-conference affair of the year.
The Tennessee Tech soccer team begins its final week of non-conference competition with its last road non-conference clash on Thursday at Middle Tennessee.
The Tennessee Tech soccer team will tie a ribbon on the fourth week of the regular season with a Sunday get-together at Kennesaw State.
Nearly a third of the way into the 2025 regular season, the Tennessee Tech soccer team will open the month of September with another in-state battle in Cookeville.
OXFORD, Ohio – The Tennessee Tech soccer team closed out the month of August with a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Miami (OH) Sunday afternoon from Bobby Kramig Field.
The final day of August brings the conclusion of the third week of the regular season for the Tennessee Tech soccer team.
The Tennessee Tech soccer team checked off a couple of boxes in its Thursday evening tangle with ETSU.
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.
MURRAY, Ky. – Tennessee Tech was able to get more chances on goal than Murray State was able to on Sunday afternoon at Cutchin Field, but the former conference foe Racers were able to get one in during the 67th minute to take a 1-0 edge. The Golden Eagles fall to 0-4-0 on the season. Tech returns home Thursday for a visit from future conference foe East Tennessee State. Admission to all games at Tech Soccer Field is free to the public.
