Golden Eagles pick up second tie of season in back-and-forth battle with Chattanooga
A seesaw sort of affair that saw both the Tennessee Tech soccer team and Chattanooga erase one-score deficits highlighted an entertaining match that ultimately ended in a 2-2 draw Thursday night at Tech Soccer Field.
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
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2 | 0 | 2 |
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1 | 1 | 2 |
Team Stats
Chattanooga
| Game Statistics | Chattanooga | Tennessee Tech |
|---|---|---|
| Shots (on goal) | 17 (5) | 11 (6) |
| Saves | 4 | 3 |
| Fouls | 13 | 11 |
| Corner Kicks | 0 | 3 |
| Offsides | 0 | 3 |
By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Athletics Media Relations
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – A seesaw sort of affair that saw both the Tennessee Tech soccer team and Chattanooga erase one-score deficits highlighted an entertaining match that ultimately ended in a 2-2 draw Thursday night at Tech Soccer Field.
TTU's second tie of the year featured a season-high two goals by the purple and gold, with Tech scoring in each half en route to the knot with its in-state counterpart. Tori Soutuyo pushed the Golden Eagles (0-5-2) on the board by breaking a nil-nil deadlock in the 15th minute with her first goal of the season, while Natalie Howard's first-career score pulled Tech even in the 63rd minute after the Golden Eagles found themselves down 2-1 at the half.
Soutuyo's fourth-career goal was an alert play by the junior that saw her collect a pass from Howard before noticing Chattanooga keeper Caroline Ekern off her line. With Ekern inched toward the middle of the box, Soutuyo let loose from deep and soared one over the leaping try of Ekern to put the Golden Eagles ahead 1-0 early. Howard and Melina Hamm, who started the scoring play with a pass to Howard, each earned assists on the goal.
The Mocs (4-1-1) responded by pushing home an equalizer on a Caroline Richvalsky header that ricocheted off the far post and into the back of the net in the 29th minute to square the contest at 1-1. The match-tying goal was made possible on cross from Paige Thomas, who picked up an assist on the score.
Thomas would go on to put Chattanooga on top in the 42nd minute after receiving a feed from Emma Reeves before belting one from well outside the box and in between the pipes for her Southern Conference leading fifth goal of the year.
Down 2-1 at the half, Tech battled back on Howard's goal to cap off a three-point evening for the sophomore out of Collierville, Tenn. Abigail Davis lofted one toward the net before a Moc defender headed it right to Howard who took care of the rest to knot things up at 2-2 in the 63rd minute.
The Golden Eagles tied a season high with 11 shots. Soutuyo paced the purple and gold with a career-high four attempts. The Mocs produced 17 tries, led by Richvalsky's match-leading five shots.
Maggie Conrad picked up three saves in the stalemate, including a dramatic denial on a point-blank attempt by Richvalsky in the 77th minute to keep the tilt tied at 2-2. Ekern notched four saves across the way.
Tech will head back on the road for a Sunday meeting at Kennesaw State. Kickoff with the Owls is scheduled for 3 p.m. CT.
Photo: Jeff Bowe, TTU Media Relations
