Tech soccer welcomes Southern Indiana to Cookeville for pivotal OVC battle
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.
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
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Team Stats
Southern Indiana
| Game Statistics | Southern Indiana | Tennessee Tech |
|---|---|---|
| Shots (on goal) | 6 (2) | 13 (8) |
| Saves | 6 | 2 |
| Fouls | 7 | 6 |
| Corner Kicks | 4 | 2 |
| Offsides | 0 | 0 |
By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Athletics Media Relations
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – 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. Kickoff with the Screaming Eagles is slated for 7 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
With three matches remaining in the regular season, the Golden Eagles (3-6-7, 3-0-3 OVC) enter Thursday's tangle with USI in a three-way tie for second place in the Ohio Valley Conference thanks to 12 league points. Southern Indiana and Little Rock are the other two squads knotted for second, while Eastern Illinois is tops in the OVC behind 16 conference points with a 5-0-1 league record. The top two teams earn a double-bye straight to the semifinals of the OVC Tournament.
Tech hosts the Screaming Eagles on a six-match unbeaten streak, marking the fourth-straight season the Golden Eagles have enjoyed a five-match unbeaten streak throughout the year. During the recent surge, the purple and gold went through a stretch of three consecutive victories behind nods over Western Illinois, Lindenwood and Morehead, scoring at least four goals in all three matches to mark the first time in program history in which Tech has tallied at least four goals in three straight matches. The 14 goals over the trio of contests were also a school record for most scores over a three-match period.
The Golden Eagles are coming off a 1-1 draw with UT Martin on Sunday in the club's last contest for Tech's seventh tie of the season to set a new program record for draws in a year. The knot featured its fair share of dramatics after Katie Toney scored with just over 90 seconds remaining in the second half to erase a 1-0 deficit. Toney's goal was the senior forward's third of the season and 19th in her career to move into sole possession of third place on the program's all-time career goals list.
Toney is one of six Golden Eagles with more than one score this season. Claire Palya and Reagan Smiley have each split the pipes twice, while Allison Lee joins Toney with three goals. Lucia Cuadra has found the back of the net four times and Natalie Howard paces the purple and gold with five scores. Howard is currently in fifth in the league in goals, while Cuardra is knotted for sixth in the conference.
Melina Hamm is tied for first in the OVC with a team-leading four assists. Cuadra, Tori Soutuyo and Cheyenne McCloud each have three helpers this season.
Tech's 21 goals are second most in the conference. Little Rock leads the league with 27 scores.
Dating back to October 2021, the Golden Eagles have dropped only three of 38 OVC regular-season matches. TTU has a 24-3-11 record over that time span.
A look at Southern Indiana
The Screaming Eagles (6-5-4, 3-0-3) join Tech, Little Rock and Eastern Illinois as the four undefeated teams in the OVC. Following an 0-5 start to the season, Southern Indiana has not dropped a match, heading into Thursday's meeting with Tech on a 10-match unbeaten streak. USI has yielded only four goals over those 10 contests.
The Screaming Eagles have the third-most shutouts in the league with six clean sheets. Red-shirt junior keeper Anna Markland has the fourth-best goals against average in the conference behind a 1.23 mark.
Offensively, Emerson Grafton leads the team with four goals, three assists and 11 points. The senior out of Casper, Wyo. is knotted with Lucia Cuadra for sixth in the OVC with those 11 points. Peyton Murphy, Josie Pochoki and Eva Boer are all tied for second on the team with three goals apiece.
Inside the series
Thursday's get-together will serve as the fourth meeting in the all-time set. The Golden Eagles are a perfect 3-0 against USI, outscoring the Screaming Eagles 15-1 in the trio of contests. Tech took last year's battle with a 4-1 victory in Evansville on Oct. 6.
Photo: Jim Dillon
