Thursday, September 30
Martin, Tenn.
7:00 PM
UT Martin
vs
Eastern Illinois
SKYHAWK SOCCER SHUTS SEPTEMBER SLATE WITH FIRST OVC HOME MEETING ON THURSDAY
9/29/2021 1:38:00 PM | Soccer
MARTIN, Tenn. – Now that the Ohio Valley Conference portion of the 2021 schedule has arrived, the University of Tennessee at Martin soccer team will search for a second victory in as many attempts against league opposition on Thursday evening in their own backyard, preparing to face off with Eastern Illinois four days after snatching a 1-0 triumph while visiting Austin Peay in the first of eight OVC matchups.
Pushing their overall record to 5-3-1 while halting a two-game scoreless skid, the Skyhawks managed to hold the Governors without a score for the fourth consecutive time on Sunday to reach a 1-0 start in league play, hoping to get the better of EIU for the second straight time after a 1-0 finish in last spring's abbreviated conference-only campaign. The Panthers will enter Thursday's tilt in Martin with a 2-5-2 resume although without a W over their last four appearances, most recently a 1-1 tie with Morehead State at the close of the weekend.
UTM has performed exceptionally well when competing on their home turf, outgunning the other side by a combined 10-3 margin in the four regular season bouts at Skyhawk Field since August. While the offensive numbers have risen and dropped periodically for head coach Phil McNamara's club, it's the defensive area which has led the navy and orange to the majority of their victories, letting only nine goals pass in nine meetings. All other schools in the Ohio Valley Conference have given up at least 12 scores respectively, while the Skyhawks have surrendered more than one strike in a single match on just one occasion.
A 101-77 shot discrepancy has aided UTM towards their pursuit of a deep OVC postseason run as the predicted 4th-place finisher, although there's plenty of work to be done over the final month of the fall campaign. The Skyhawks will alternate between home appearances and road trips over the next five dates on the schedule, traveling to Southeast Missouri State three days after taking on the Panthers in the team's first conference affair in friendly territory.
Assisting on what turned out to be the game-winning goal in the 5th minute against Austin Peay while simultaneously playing all 90 minutes, junior defender Maria Castaldo became the fourth different UTM player this year to garner a weekly honor from the conference in the form of her Defensive Player of the Week nod. Erica Myers, Jill Hildreth, and Bella Roberts already achieved a similar feat – either as Goalkeeper or Offensive Player of the Week – further legitimizing the imposing depth of a Skyhawk roster that embarks on its most important stretch of the season.
It hasn't been smooth sailing for Eastern Illinois as of late, falling into three straight defeats by a 9-0 total difference before the 110-minute tie versus Morehead State. The Panthers have tallied their two victories over Illinois Springfield and Chicago State, although yet to pick up a win away from home, dropping their first four road contests of 2021.
Should the Skyhawks hold EIU to zero on the scoreboard tomorrow evening, which would in turn represent their fourth shutout of the semester, Myers would officially tie Mariah Klenke (2011-14) for the most shutouts in a Skyhawk uniform in the 23-year history of the program with 21. Leading into Thursday's scuffle, Myers boasts 35 victories to her individual tally next to 36 saves this fall, two away from hitting the 300 threshold over her five-year collegiate career.
Bringing a 7-3-2 personal record against the Panthers into the team's first home match in 18 days, coach McNamara and co. will look to become the first OVC squad to hit a 2-0 league record in 2021, with first touch taking place at approximately 7:00 p.m. The event will be streamed live via ESPN+.
Pushing their overall record to 5-3-1 while halting a two-game scoreless skid, the Skyhawks managed to hold the Governors without a score for the fourth consecutive time on Sunday to reach a 1-0 start in league play, hoping to get the better of EIU for the second straight time after a 1-0 finish in last spring's abbreviated conference-only campaign. The Panthers will enter Thursday's tilt in Martin with a 2-5-2 resume although without a W over their last four appearances, most recently a 1-1 tie with Morehead State at the close of the weekend.
UTM has performed exceptionally well when competing on their home turf, outgunning the other side by a combined 10-3 margin in the four regular season bouts at Skyhawk Field since August. While the offensive numbers have risen and dropped periodically for head coach Phil McNamara's club, it's the defensive area which has led the navy and orange to the majority of their victories, letting only nine goals pass in nine meetings. All other schools in the Ohio Valley Conference have given up at least 12 scores respectively, while the Skyhawks have surrendered more than one strike in a single match on just one occasion.
A 101-77 shot discrepancy has aided UTM towards their pursuit of a deep OVC postseason run as the predicted 4th-place finisher, although there's plenty of work to be done over the final month of the fall campaign. The Skyhawks will alternate between home appearances and road trips over the next five dates on the schedule, traveling to Southeast Missouri State three days after taking on the Panthers in the team's first conference affair in friendly territory.
Assisting on what turned out to be the game-winning goal in the 5th minute against Austin Peay while simultaneously playing all 90 minutes, junior defender Maria Castaldo became the fourth different UTM player this year to garner a weekly honor from the conference in the form of her Defensive Player of the Week nod. Erica Myers, Jill Hildreth, and Bella Roberts already achieved a similar feat – either as Goalkeeper or Offensive Player of the Week – further legitimizing the imposing depth of a Skyhawk roster that embarks on its most important stretch of the season.
It hasn't been smooth sailing for Eastern Illinois as of late, falling into three straight defeats by a 9-0 total difference before the 110-minute tie versus Morehead State. The Panthers have tallied their two victories over Illinois Springfield and Chicago State, although yet to pick up a win away from home, dropping their first four road contests of 2021.
Should the Skyhawks hold EIU to zero on the scoreboard tomorrow evening, which would in turn represent their fourth shutout of the semester, Myers would officially tie Mariah Klenke (2011-14) for the most shutouts in a Skyhawk uniform in the 23-year history of the program with 21. Leading into Thursday's scuffle, Myers boasts 35 victories to her individual tally next to 36 saves this fall, two away from hitting the 300 threshold over her five-year collegiate career.
Bringing a 7-3-2 personal record against the Panthers into the team's first home match in 18 days, coach McNamara and co. will look to become the first OVC squad to hit a 2-0 league record in 2021, with first touch taking place at approximately 7:00 p.m. The event will be streamed live via ESPN+.
Players Mentioned
Skyhawk Sports Talk - Season 3, Episode 2
Tuesday, September 02
Skyhawk Sports Talk - Season 3, Episode 1
Monday, August 25
Hawk Walk with Allie Buchmann
Tuesday, August 19
Skyhawk Sports Talk - Season 2, Episode 10
Thursday, April 10