Tech soccer sets sights on Thursday meeting at Morehead State
The Tennessee Tech soccer team is set to jump past the halfway point of its conference campaign with a Thursday match at Morehead State.
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Team Stats
Morehead State
| Game Statistics | Tennessee Tech | Morehead State |
|---|---|---|
| Shots (on goal) | 13 (9) | 14 (7) |
| Saves | 6 | 5 |
| Fouls | 9 | 10 |
| Corner Kicks | 4 | 2 |
| Offsides | 0 | 1 |
By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Athletics Media Relations
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech soccer team is set to jump past the halfway point of its conference campaign with a Thursday match at Morehead State. Tech's fifth OVC affair out of nine conference contests is slated to start at 3 p.m. 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
One of four remaining unbeatens in the Ohio Valley Conference, the Golden Eagles head to Morehead hot, having won back-to-back matches for the first time this season. The recent surge has seen Tech (2-6-6, 2-0-2 OVC) outscore its opponents a combined 10-2 in the pair of affairs thanks to a 6-1 triumph over Western Illinois on Sept. 28 and a 4-1 victory at Lindenwood on Sunday.
The win over the defending OVC Tournament champion, Lindenwood, featured a pair of goals by Natalie Howard to take over the team lead with four scores. The sophomore forward is currently tied for fourth in the conference in goals and is also fourth in the league in points with 10. Howard is one of two Golden Eagles with more than one goal in a match this season, joining Lucia Cuadra who recorded a hat trick in the win over Western Illinois.
Cuadra's three-goal output marked the program's ninth hat trick and first since Chloe Smith accomplished the feat in a 5-0 win over Lindenwood in the OVC Tournament semifinals on Nov. 4, 2022. Cuadra is the sixth different Golden Eagle to notch a hat trick in program history.
Allison Lee and Claire Palya accompany Cuadra and Howard as Golden Eagles with more than one goal this season. Lee has three scores and Palya has split the pipes twice this year after each found the back of the net in each of the last two matches.
Melina Hamm's four assists are the most on the club. The Solingen, Germany native is tied with Little Rock's Maria Schuller for the most helpers in the OVC.
Senior keeper Maggie Conrad picked up four stops in Sunday's victory over the Lions. The Cedar Rapids, Iowa product is now three victories back of Carly King (2001-04) for second-most career wins in program history.
The Golden Eagles enter the match at Morehead tied with Southern Indiana for second place in the OVC behind eight points. Eastern Illinois, thanks to a perfect 4-0 record, leads the league with 12 points.
A look at Morehead State
After picking up a 1-0 win over Western Illinois in the OVC opener on Sept. 21, the Eagles have since dropped three in a row with losses to Southern Indiana, Lindenwood and Eastern Illinois. Morehead State (3-10-0, 1-3-0 OVC) was unable to find the back of the net in the three defeats.
The Eagles have the fewest goals in the conference behind just six scores this season. Kennedy Baquero paces the squad with two goals and five points. Addison Petry has the club's only goal in OVC play with the winner in the 38th minute in the 1-0 nod against Western Illinois.
Claire Cress has played in 12 of 13 matches in between the pipes. The 5-foot-9 sophomore has a 2.09 goals against average and a .730 save percentage after allowing 24 goals and posting 65 saves this season.
Inside the series
Thursday's battle of the birds will mark the 32nd gathering in the all-time series. Tech leads the set 14-13-4, but dropped the last matchup in the 2024 OVC Tournament semifinals. Scoreless through regulation and a pair of overtimes, Morehead took down the purple and gold 3-0 on penalty kicks to advance to the OVC Tournament championship match.
The Golden Eagles captured the regular-season meeting last year thanks to a 1-0 victory in Cookeville on Oct. 3. The shutout win featured a Maggie Conrad penalty-kick save in the final two minutes of regulation to preserve the clean sheet.
Photo: Jim Dillon
