UTM SOCCER FALLS VICTIM TO DOUBLE-OVERTIME GOLDEN GOAL VS. TENNESSEE TECH

Thursday, October 7

Martin, Tenn.

7:00 PM

UT Martin

7-4-1, 3-1-0

Tennessee Tech

2-5-1, 1-2-0

Tennessee Tech

UT Martin

UTM SOCCER FALLS VICTIM TO DOUBLE-OVERTIME GOLDEN GOAL VS. TENNESSEE TECH

10/7/2021 11:22:00 PM | Soccer

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MARTIN, Tenn. – Entering the evening atop the Ohio Valley Conference standings leading into the halfway point of league play, the University of Tennessee at Martin soccer team was left without any additional points to their season total in said standings, dropping an unexpected 109-minute marathon to Tennessee Tech at Skyhawk Field on Thursday, 2-1.

Sitting comfy after Jill Hildreth's sixth strike of the semester in the 52^nd minute, the Skyhawks' coasting gradually morphed into scramble mode once the visiting Golden Eagles suddenly dropped in the equalizer 18 minutes later. After a lengthy stretch featuring nearly dozens of chances for either side, TTU's Gabby Garcia booted the golden goal at the 108:17 stamp of the second overtime period, dishing UTM a heartbreaking loss ahead of a brutal upcoming three-game stretch that begins in 72 hours.

Despite their status as the clear underdog statistically, Tennessee Tech – who had seen a seven-day rest upon falling 0-2 against OVC competitors – nearly outgunned the Skyhawks in the shots department, a rarity considering UT Martin's elite reputation when performing on their home turf. All told, the navy and orange put up 17 shot tries (two better than TTU), although that means little when considering the final result, a Chloe Smith assist with just over one minute left to Garcia, turning what was about to be a tie into the Skyhawks' fourth setback of 2021.

Both goalkeepers endured frankly nerve-wracking situations on more than one occasion Thursday night, with Erica Myers and counterpart Isabelle Austin needing six saves apiece in order to preserve what would have been a high-octane decision otherwise. What appeared to be the Skyhawks' fourth consecutive conference triumph waiting in the wings two/thirds of the way through the rivalry duel suddenly flipped a 180 and steered all the momentum towards the opposite direction.

Following the Hildreth score – the senior's 19^th of the past three years and counting – that the Tennesseean easily converted after Emma Elliott's lean pass careened off a TTU defender, the Golden Eagles began to dictate the pace more often than not which led to the crucial tying goal off the foot of Bailey Taylor, assisted by Taylor Hornback.

From there, a more desperate offensive approach unfortunately never paid off for head coach Phil McNamara's club, seeing only one shot attempt over the final 13 minutes of regulation once the visitors evened the odds. Myers stymied what would have been a late game-winner from Emily Payne at the 89:23 mark to conclude the conference affair unresolved.

The first of two 10-minute OT periods floated heavily in Tennessee Tech's favor, as the Golden Eagles produced three shot attempts within three minutes of each other, although none found the back of the net as they had envisioned. One would suspect a wave of fatigue to encompass those on the field during the final overtime spurt, although a combined five-shot stretch in the closing moments proved quite the contrary.

Hildreth, Makayla Robinson, and Izzy Patterson all gave the Skyhawks a shot at what would have been the team's first golden goal of the fall, although the visitors beat them to the punch in the waning moments once Garcia and Smith caught Myers on an island in a two-on-one placement. From there, the Golden Eagles allotted themselves a major road victory over the first-place team in the Ohio Valley Conference, solidifying only the second time in 12 appearances that UTM has surrendered more than one goal in a single outing.

Patterson, Robinson, Hildreth, and Emely van der Vliet added up for 10 of the squad's 17 shots in the last-second loss, wherein six different players never left the field at any point. The same can be said of five Golden Eagles in the OVC thriller, as TTU effectively snaps what was a three-game losing skid to UT Martin and hand Coach McNamara just his third loss to the school's in-state rival since taking over the program back in 2010.

Amidst the program's consistent success over the past decade, the Skyhawks entered the contest with a chance to become the first edition of the team in UTM history to win each of its first four league matchups. Alas, that accomplishment will have to wait another day, as the Skyhawks must now look forward to a road battle with SIUE on Sunday afternoon in Edwardsville.

The outright preseason favorite to claim the OVC regular season title back in August, the Cougars weren't as impressive as originally conceived in non-conference territory at just 3-4, although a 2-0 start to league play has given SIUE a spot right behind the Skyhawks in the league's standings, especially when taking into account Thursday's result in Martin.

Coming off a 5-0 blowout over Morehead State four days earlier, the Cougars were scheduled to face Eastern Illinois in Charleston on Thursday. However, a halftime weather postponement forces a "to be continued" cliffhanger to finish on October 19^th. Dating back to 2008, the Skyhawks have taken on SIUE 16 times with an 8-8 record after the Cougars have bested them each of the last three meetings, including a 2-0 final last spring. In fact, UTM has been completely scoreless over the past 270 minutes versus their league foe, relegated to a shutout defeat in three straight outings during the seesaw series.

Headed back to the drawing board after being on the wrong end of a home upset, the Skyhawks will search for their third all-time win at Edwardsville when first touch commences at approximately 2:00 p.m. on Sunday. The event will be broadcasted live via ESPN+.