MISSION: REDEMPTION FOR UTM SOCCER ON FRIDAY IN OVC TOURNAMENT SEMI’S VS. TENNESSEE TECH

MARTIN, Tenn. – On the heels of the program's fifth Ohio Valley Conference Regular Season Championship – the second time in the past four years reaching that feat – the University of Tennessee at Martin soccer team continues final preparations for hosting duties at the 2021 league tournament, welcoming three other teams to Skyhawk Field for Friday and Sunday's last two rounds of the OVC postseason. Behind a conference resume of 6-2 (10-5-1 overall) and the top seed in the eight-team bracket, UTM finds themselves with a bit of unfinished business in the round of four when taking on 5^th-seeded Tennessee Tech.

While it's been mostly smooth sailing for Head Coach Phil McNamara's squad in 2021, a rare upset took place against the Skyhawks' fortunes nearly one month ago on October 7^th at the hands of the Golden Eagles. On that Thursday evening in Martin, the visitors denied UTM their first ever 4-0 start to conference play on a shocking 109^th-minute golden goal in the second overtime period, downing the Skyhawks by a 2-1 clip. The double-OT thriller marked the second and final time in the regular season that UT Martin was scored on more than once in a single match, squeaking by a last-second goal against the formidable navy and orange back line.

After dropping their first two conference meetings, TTU's mid-season resurgence began with the aforementioned stunner over the Skyhawks and has continued into the OVC Tournament. Amazingly, the Golden Eagles have not swallowed an outright loss since September 30^th, either picking up a W or forcing a tie in their past eight matchups to earn the #5 seed, exactly where they were predicted to finish in the preseason league standings.

Having placed just outside the top four, Tennessee Tech needed a pair of wins without a loss in the single-elimination format last weekend and got exactly what they were wishing for, outlasting Eastern Illinois in the opening round 1-0 after a 55^th-minute strike before pulling off another theatrical climax in the Quarterfinals at Murray State.

Knocking off the 4^th-seeded Racers on their own field Sunday afternoon, TTU suddenly silenced the thought of an overtime period by punching in a penalty kick opportunity with one minute and 59 seconds left to polish another startling conclusion. Advancing to the Semifinals for the first time since 2017, the Golden Eagles have seen their performance elevate beyond the 90-minute mark five times in the month of October alone, hoping that lightning will strike twice against a UT Martin squad that has only gotten better since the last time they locked horns.

Quickly shaking off the cobwebs of that unexpected loss to gain wins in three of their last four outings since that point, the Skyhawks and their conference-best defensive lineup have only allowed two scores in the past 360 minutes and only 15 all season long. UTM was last in action on October 24^th in Kentucky, putting a bow on their 1^st-place OVC finish with their fifth shutout of the semester against Morehead State, 1-0.

Since the program's inception, UT Martin holds the advantage over Tennessee Tech 14-11-1 when factoring in last month's improbable result. The Skyhawks had won the previous three meetings in the series before the Golden Eagles escaped with the sudden-death squeaker, although Coach McNamara's unit holds the edge in fatigue (or lack thereof) with a 12-day rest in between matches thanks to their position earning a double BYE in the conference tourney.

Possessing at least a share of the OVC title for the fifth time in school history – all occurring within the past 13 seasons – UTM will aim for its third trip to the NCAA Tournament when all is said and done, a guarantee for the winner of the conference finals. The Skyhawks were able to achieve that feat consecutively in the 2011 and 2012 campaigns, but still have plenty of work to do before submitting their bid to the big dance.

Should UT Martin gain a dose of payback on the Golden Eagles in Friday's Semifinal battle, they will await the winner of the SIUE/Southeast Missouri matchup that will also take place on Friday night at 7:00. The Cougars approach the final two rounds of the tournament with the #2 seed thanks to a four-game winning streak while the Redhawks bring the #7 seed with them, having already beaten Morehead State and Belmont last weekend.

First touch with Tennessee Tech is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. two days from now, where live-streamed coverage of the event can be found courtesy of ESPN+.

MISSION: REDEMPTION FOR UTM SOCCER ON FRIDAY IN OVC TOURNAMENT SEMI’S VS. TENNESSEE TECH

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