Golden Eagles greet Western Illinois for third OVC match of year
The first two-match week of the conference campaign comes to a close on Sunday as the Golden Eagles welcome Western Illinois to town for an afternoon kickoff in Cookeville.
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
0 | 1 | 1 |
|
|
5 | 1 | 6 |
Team Stats
Western Illinois
| Game Statistics | Western Illinois | Tennessee Tech |
|---|---|---|
| Shots (on goal) | 3 (2) | 29 (20) |
| Saves | 14 | 1 |
| Fouls | 11 | 7 |
| Corner Kicks | 0 | 7 |
| Offsides | 2 | 1 |
By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Athletics Media Relations
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The first two-match week of the conference campaign comes to a close on Sunday as the Golden Eagles welcome Western Illinois to town for an afternoon kickoff in Cookeville. The match is set to get underway at 1 p.m. CT.
Admission to Tech Soccer Field is free of charge. The match will be livestreamed on ESPN+. Click here to watch. Live stats will also be available. Click here to view.
A look at Tennessee Tech
Sunday's tilt with Western Illinois will conclude the first third of the OVC season with the match serving as Tech's third league tangle out of nine conference clashes. The Golden Eagles enter the contest following back-to-back draws to open league play with a 1-1 knot to Little Rock on Sept. 21 and a scoreless stalemate at SIUE on Thursday.
Tech's six ties this year match last year's program record for draws in a season. The six deadlocks have all occurred over the last eight matches following an 0-4 start to the year.
The Golden Eagles (0-6-6, 0-0-2 OVC) have generated more chances of late having tallied their top three shot totals over the last three matches. Tech produced a season-best 15 total attempts in the non-conference finale against North Alabama on Sept. 14 before the purple and gold took 14 shots in each of the last two matches in the draws with Little Rock and SIUE. Thursday's match with the Cougars also featured a season-best nine corners.
Tech's Thursday blanking was also the club's second clean sheet of the season. Senior keeper Maggie Conrad collected three stops to move her career shutout total to 19, second-most in program history.
In last Sunday's 1-1 draw with Little Rock, Katie Toney was responsible for Tech's lone goal thanks to a score in the 41st minute. The senior forward now has 17 career goals to move into a four-way tie for fifth place on the program's all-time career goals list. Toney is now knotted with Bailey Taylor (2019-23), Andrea Meloff (2009-12) and Robin Vince (2001-02) with those 17 scores.
Lucia Cuadra assisted on Toney's goal for her 10th career assist following an OVC-best nine in her first season as a Golden Eagle in 2024. Cuadra's next helper will move her into the top 10 in career assists in program history.
Cuadra, Tori Soutuyo, Natalie Howard, Melina Hamm, Claire Palya and Cheyenne McCloud all have assists this year, while Toney, Soutuyo, Howard, Allison Lee and Ebba Melin all have found the back of the net for the purple and gold. Howard's two goals and five points are the most on the club.
A look at Western Illinois
The Leathernecks won their season opener with a 2-0 win over St. Ambrose on Aug. 15, but have since dropped 11 consecutive contests. Western Illinois (1-11-0, 0-2-0) fell in their first two OVC contests with a 1-0 defeat at Morehead State on Sept. 21 and a 4-0 loss to Eastern Illinois on Thursday.
WIU's four goals are the lowest in the league. Abigail Schilling and Kayla Turner have each split the pipes twice to account for the club's quartet of scores. Madeline Stickelmaier and Simone Nygaard Thorst are responsible for the squad's two assists behind one apiece.
Western Illinois has used three goalkeepers this season. Freshman Lillian Johns has started the last three matches, while Ariel Bernard has spent the most time in between the pipes with 10 appearances this year.
Inside the series
Sunday's battle marks the third meeting in the all-time series. The Golden Eagles captured the first two tangles thanks to a 3-1 win last year in Macomb and a 1-0 victory in Cookeville on Oct. 8, 2023.
Photo: Thomas Corhern, TTU Media Relations
