Hoffman's hat trick lifts Tech to overtime victory
Junior Jen Hoffman, the OVC Offensive Player of the Year, knocked in three goals Thursday afternoon and her hat trick lifted Tech to a thrilling 3-2 overtime victory over Eastern Illinois in the first round of the OVC Tournament.
Box score (PDF)
MOREHEAD, Ky. -- Junior Jen Hoffman, the OVC Offensive Player of
the Year, knocked in three goals Thursday afternoon and her hat
trick lifted Tennessee Tech to a thrilling 3-2 overtime victory
over Eastern Illinois in the first round of the Ohio Valley
Conference Soccer Tournament at Morehead State.
The No. 4 seed Golden Eagles advance to the semifinals Friday
where they will meet No. 1 seed Morehead State at 4 p.m. CST.
After a scoreless first half, Eastern Illinois junior Sarah Rusk
got the Panthers on the board off an assist from senior Alexis
Miller. EIU would go up 2-0 as junior Kaitlin Sullivan scored her
scored her third goal of the season.
Trailing by two, Hoffman's 30-yard lob shot from the right side
ignited the Golden Eagles on the cold Kentucky night. Her
unassisted score in the 60th minute made it 2-1. She followed with
her second goal of the game 11 minutes later off an assist from the
2009 Co-Freshman of the Year Kris Cambron. This time it was a
20-yard lob shot from the right side.
Hoffman completed the hat trick with her third goal of the game, a
30-yard lob shot from the right side in the second overtime to give
the Golden Eagles the win and keep Tech's season alive under
second-year coach Becky Fletcher.
Goalkeeper Kaitlyn Thacker made five saves in the contest
including one in the first overtime period. Tech's only shot in the
overtime period was Hoffman's game-winner. In fact, the Golden
Eagles had only three shots on goal, all by Hoffman, and all three
found the back of the net.
EIU had a 7-2 advantage in shots in the first half, and an 11-8
margin in the second half.
Eastern Illinois concluded the season with a 7-8-5 overall mark
while going 3-3-2 in the OVC play.
