UT MARTIN SOCCER CLAIMS 2018 OVC REGUALR SEASON CHAMPIONSHIP IN 3-1 WIN OVER EKU

Friday, October 19

Martin, Tenn.

7 P.M.

UT Martin

13-2-1 (8-0-1OVC)

Eastern Kentucky

7-7-3 (3-3-3OVC)

Eastern Kentucky

UT Martin

UT MARTIN SOCCER CLAIMS 2018 OVC REGUALR SEASON CHAMPIONSHIP IN 3-1 WIN OVER EKU

10/19/2018 10:27:00 PM | Soccer

Box Score

MARTIN, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin soccer squad notched its fourth Ohio Valley Conference regular season title as it defeated Eastern Kentucky 3-1 this evening.

UT Martin (13-2-1, 8-0-1 OVC) kept its hot streak alive as the Skyhawks push their unbeaten streak out to 11 matches. The UT Martin offense outshot the Colonels by a commanding 30-5 margin with 21 of those Skyhawk shots coming in the second half alone. Tonight's victory marks the first time the program has tallied 13 wins since 2012 while the 2011 squad recorded a program-high 14 victories.

Leading the way for the Skyhawks was freshman Skylor Keane as she netted a pair of goals and also connected for an assist in the match. Senior Amy McGivern found the back of the net as well while she also put up 10 shots in the bout. Alice Adams had a friendly pass that was recorded as an assist while also tallying a shot. Samantha Kelly reeled off four shots (three on goal) while the trio of Bianca McFarland, Danae Kaldaridou and Keane rapped out three shots piece. Sara Ketis tallied a pair of shots while Kaci Mitchell, Nicole Collins, Kamryn Chappell, Jaden Hildreth and Adams rounded out the shots column with one each.

In all, five Skyhawks logged 90 minutes in the matchup while five more had 75 minutes or more on the pitch. Other than the Eastern Kentucky blip in the 24^th minute, UT Martin locked down on defense as the midfielder and defender corps shined.

Goalkeeper Erica Myers clocked in for a complete match between the posts. She allowed just the one aforementioned Colonel goal but also recorded a save in the bout.

Eastern Kentucky played a tight defensive set throughout the matchup and was able to crack into the scoring column first as the Colonels netted a goal at the 23:49 mark. UT Martin would be unable to find the back of the net in the remainder of the first half and would go into the intermission down 1-0.

The second half would remain scoreless until just over 30 minutes into the frame when a perfect storm unfolded in the span of 2:18 that turned the tide for UT Martin. McGivern knotted the score up at 1-1 at the 77:31 mark as she took a hot pass from Keane for a quick-look goal. Then in the 79^th minute, Keane received a pass from Adams while she also matched up with the goalkeeper for a one-on-one goal. The final Skyhawk blow came with 79:49 on the clock as Keane stole the ball from a defender to drill into the back of the net as she faced only the goalkeeper.

"Winning the regular season championship is absolutely fantastic," head coach Phil McNamara said. "I thought this was a phenomenal game. Eastern Kentucky came out with a very good game plan tonight. They got the lead and made it really difficult for us but we kept working away. I thought we were outstanding in the second half. We really needed this game to get us ready for the tournament. All of our girls, especially the seniors, have played phenomenally over the course of the season. I feel that they have gotten what they deserved after having to work hard for several years without the support classes around them following the graduation of the best class in program history in 2013. They all had to be patient and work really hard but we saw all of that hard work and determination pay off here tonight."

UT Martin wraps up the regular season on Sunday, Oct. 21 when the Skyhawks host Morehead State at 2 p.m. with Senior Day festivities to precede the match.