Thursday, August 19
Martin, Tenn.
7:00 PM
UT Martin
vs
Southern Illinois
Photo by: UT Martin Sports Information
SKYHAWK SOCCER PREPARES FOR FIRST-TIME MEETING TO KICK OFF 2021 CAMPAIGN
8/18/2021 4:14:00 PM | Soccer
MARTIN, Tenn. – Now that the University of Tennessee at Martin's triple-serving of exhibition bouts are in the rearview mirror, the first step in head coach Phil McNamara's 12th season at the helm can officially begin with an unfamiliar foe waiting in the wings on Thursday evening from Skyhawk Field.
Third-year program Southern Illinois holds the title of UTM's first opponent out of 16 throughout the fall semester, as the Skyhawks look to build upon their third-place Ohio Valley Conference finish four months ago with a full plate of games on deck this time around. The Salukis, under the direction of head coach Grant Williams, will look to shake the cobwebs off a winless 2020-21 venture in nine attempts as the program continues to trudge through the early-goings of the team's stature in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Due to the recent creation of the SIU soccer squad, Thursday's bout with UT Martin will mark the first ever meeting between the two schools, allowing the Salukis to become the 83rd different program to lock horns with the Skyhawks since the inception of the team 23 years ago. At the conclusion of the season-opening duel, Coach McNamara's unit will have faced off with exactly half of the MVC's 10 member institutions throughout its history as the first of eight non-conference matchups on the 2021 schedule.
Returning 15 players while recruiting nine new ones during the school's shortest offseason ever, UT Martin brings with them high expectations for the fall following their hot finish to the spring campaign that saw five straight victories entering the postseason and a berth in the OVC Tournament Semifinal round. Graduate goalkeeper Erica Myers, junior defender Maria Castaldo, and sophomore striker Emely van der Vliet carry all-conference accolades with them into the fall ballot, the latter becoming just the second player in school history to be christened OVC Freshman of the Year upon leading the league in goals (7) and shots (40) over 11 appearances last season.
Quickly gaining traction towards the upper echelon of past Skyhawk goalies, Myers currently sits in 2nd place all-time with 17 shutouts while also ranking 3rd in school history in matches played (64), needing to add just five more to both of those tallies to become the university's top record-holder. The Holland, Ohio product also ranks 2nd in UTM history for total wins (30), clocking in at 3rd place in minutes at GK (5987:35) and in saves (262).
It was a spring to forget for Southern Illinois in their second go-around, producing only a single score and assist on 64 shot attempts during a winless schedule that saw them reach six outright losses next to three ties. When comparing the Salukis' statistics to that of UTM's four months back, the Skyhawks tallied 103 more shots than their soon-to-be first-time adversary on their way to a 6-4-1 final finish.
Thursday's first touch is slated for a 7:00 p.m. start time before UT Martin hits the road for the next three dates, starting with a trip to Little Rock, Arkansas this Sunday and a two-game stint in Indiana the following week.
Third-year program Southern Illinois holds the title of UTM's first opponent out of 16 throughout the fall semester, as the Skyhawks look to build upon their third-place Ohio Valley Conference finish four months ago with a full plate of games on deck this time around. The Salukis, under the direction of head coach Grant Williams, will look to shake the cobwebs off a winless 2020-21 venture in nine attempts as the program continues to trudge through the early-goings of the team's stature in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Due to the recent creation of the SIU soccer squad, Thursday's bout with UT Martin will mark the first ever meeting between the two schools, allowing the Salukis to become the 83rd different program to lock horns with the Skyhawks since the inception of the team 23 years ago. At the conclusion of the season-opening duel, Coach McNamara's unit will have faced off with exactly half of the MVC's 10 member institutions throughout its history as the first of eight non-conference matchups on the 2021 schedule.
Returning 15 players while recruiting nine new ones during the school's shortest offseason ever, UT Martin brings with them high expectations for the fall following their hot finish to the spring campaign that saw five straight victories entering the postseason and a berth in the OVC Tournament Semifinal round. Graduate goalkeeper Erica Myers, junior defender Maria Castaldo, and sophomore striker Emely van der Vliet carry all-conference accolades with them into the fall ballot, the latter becoming just the second player in school history to be christened OVC Freshman of the Year upon leading the league in goals (7) and shots (40) over 11 appearances last season.
Quickly gaining traction towards the upper echelon of past Skyhawk goalies, Myers currently sits in 2nd place all-time with 17 shutouts while also ranking 3rd in school history in matches played (64), needing to add just five more to both of those tallies to become the university's top record-holder. The Holland, Ohio product also ranks 2nd in UTM history for total wins (30), clocking in at 3rd place in minutes at GK (5987:35) and in saves (262).
It was a spring to forget for Southern Illinois in their second go-around, producing only a single score and assist on 64 shot attempts during a winless schedule that saw them reach six outright losses next to three ties. When comparing the Salukis' statistics to that of UTM's four months back, the Skyhawks tallied 103 more shots than their soon-to-be first-time adversary on their way to a 6-4-1 final finish.
Thursday's first touch is slated for a 7:00 p.m. start time before UT Martin hits the road for the next three dates, starting with a trip to Little Rock, Arkansas this Sunday and a two-game stint in Indiana the following week.
Players Mentioned
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