Golden Eagles flock to No. 1 Vanderbilt for first NCAA Tournament appearance in 25 years
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.
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Team Stats
Vanderbilt
| Game Statistics | Tennessee Tech | Vanderbilt |
|---|---|---|
| Shots (on goal) | 2 (1) | 21 (9) |
| Saves | 7 | 1 |
| Fouls | 4 | 6 |
| Corner Kicks | 1 | 12 |
| Offsides | 0 | 2 |
By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Athletics Media Relations
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – 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.
Tickets for the match are available. Click here to purchase. The match will be livestreamed on ESPN+. Click here to watch. Live stats will also be available. Click here to view.
Tech's tangle with Vandy is a single-elimination contest. The winner will clash with the victor of No. 8 Clemson and Liberty in a second-round match on Nov. 20.
A look at Tennessee Tech
Tech's trip to Music City will mark the program's second-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament, but the first time officially making it to the first round of the tourney after the Golden Eagles fell 1-0 at Liberty in an NCAA Tournament play-in match in 2000. That year's version of the purple and gold was the only other Tech team to capture the OVC Tournament title before the Golden Eagles claimed the crown on Sunday.
In Tech's fourth-straight year hosting the OVC Tournament's semifinals and championship match, the top-seeded Golden Eagles (7-6-8) at last took the title after first advancing 4-3 in penalty kicks in the semis against No. 5 Southern Indiana before winning it all with a 2-0 triumph over No. 3 Lindenwood in the finals. In Tech's last year in the Ohio Valley Conference, the Golden Eagles became the first outright regular-season champ to win the OVC Tournament since Murray State back in 2017.
Tech has now gone unbeaten in a program-record 11 straight matches, surpassing the 2017 and 2023 Golden Eagles run of nine in a row unblemished for the lonest unbeaten stretch in school history. TTU also tied the 2017 club for consecutive shutouts with Tech's current run of five straight goose eggs.
Senior keeper Maggie Conrad was named the OVC Tournament MVP after helping guide the Golden Eagles to consecutive clean sheets, highlighted by a clutch showing in PKs that saw the Cedar Rapids, Iowa native halt three tries by the Screaming Eagles. Conrad went on to post five saves in the championship match against Lindenwood. The four-year Golden Eagle starter between the pipes has the second-most career wins in program history behind 30 triumphs as well as the second-most career shutouts in school history with 24 clean sheets.
Conrad joined Katie Toney, Melina Hamm and Ebba Melin on the OVC All-Tournament team. Toney's tourney heroics featured a pair of goals in the span of just 34 seconds late in the second half of the championship match to help lead Tech to the title. The senior forward first split the pipes on a header that unwrapped the scoring in the 79th minute before finding the back of the net on a penalty kick moments later to push the purple and gold to a 2-0 edge. The McMinnville, Tenn. product's pair of goals gives Toney seven this season to tie Natalie Howard for the most on the club. Toney's 23 career goals are one back of Angela Freund (1998-01) for second-most on program's all-time list.
Toney accompanied Lucia Cuadra, Claire Palya and Allison Lee on the All-OVC first-team list as Tech tied a program record and led the Ohio Valley Conference with 10 total postseason accolades. Cuadra was named the conference's Midfielder of the Year, while Palya was recognized as the league's Defender of the Year and Corey Boyd took home OVC Coach of the Year honors. Conard and Howard secured spots on the All-OVC second team, while Eva Baker rounded out Tech's impressive haul with a place on the OVC All-Newcomer Team.
A look at No. 1 Vanderbilt
The Commodores (15-3-2) are making their 14th appearance in the NCAA Tournament to go along with hosting responsibilities for the second-straight year and fourth time overall as one of the tourney's four No. 1 seeds. Following a 7-2-1 SEC record for a second-place finish in the league, Vandy went on to claim the SEC Tournament title with three straight triumphs down in Pensacola, Fla.
The Dores first topped Alabama 2-1 in the quarterfinals before securing a 2-0 win over No. 19 Georgia in the semis. In the championship match against No. 25 LSU, Vanderbilt downed the Tigers 8-7 in PKs to secure the school's fourth SEC Tournament title and second in six seasons after seizing the crown in 2020.
Trailing 1-0 late in the second half in the title tilt with the Tigers, senior Vivian Akyirem provided the equalizing goal in the 69th minute. The score stayed knotted through the end of regulation and a pair of overtimes before the Dores ultimately won it all on a Sara Wojdelko penalty-kick stop to conclude the three-hour marathon match.
Wojdelko, who was named the SEC Goalkeeper of the Year, joined Sydney Watts, Courtney Jones and Olivia Stafford as the four Dores to take home SEC all-tournament team honors. Watts' team-leading 14 goals lead the SEC and are good enough for a tie for 18th in the nation. The junior out of Lenexa, Kan., was named the SEC Forward of the Year.
Stafford has a club-best eight assists to go along with five goals and 18 points, while Jones has scored six times in addition to four assists for 16 points this year.
Vanderbilt enters Friday's match with Tech on a nine-match unbeaten streak.
Inside the series
Vandy has claimed all seven previous meetings in the all-time series with Tennessee Tech. The two teams played on the pitch this year at Tech Soccer Field in a 6-0 Commodore win on Aug. 21. Watts and Stafford each found the back of the net twice, while Susanna Soderman and Maci Teater each split the pipes as well.
Photo | Jim Dillon
