COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - After a back-and-forth affair that saw both teams find the back of the net multiple times, SIUE women's soccer emerged with a 4-3 overtime victory at Tennessee Tech on Sunday afternoon.
The Cougars got the scoring started early, as
Andrea Frerker netted her first goal of the season in the 15th minute to put SIUE up 1-0. Less than 80 seconds later,
MacKenzie Litzsinger buried the ball into the bottom right corner of net to score her fifth goal of the season and double the Cougar lead. The Golden Eagles would half the SIUE lead in the 25th minute, producing a halftime score of 2-1. The Golden Eagles registered just one shot in the first 45 minutes, compared to SIUE's 12.
The offensive onslaught continued in the second half, this time with Tennessee Tech finding the back of the net in quick succession - the match was levelled in the 56th minute with an unfortunate own goal, and then the Golden Eagles would take a 3-2 lead just 65 seconds later. However, the TTU lead would not last, as Litzsinger would dish the ball to
Lily Schnieders who drilled it past the keeper in the 60th minute. The 3-3 tie would last through the end of regulation, requiring the Cougars to play past 90 minutes for the first time this season.
It wouldn't be much more than 90 minutes though, as Litzsinger registered her second goal of the match and sixth of the season less than a minute into overtime to secure the SIUE victory.
"Ultimately, getting that first conference win was the goal today," said SIUE Head Coach
Derek Burton following the match. "We're thrilled, but we can certainly take a couple steps to stay away from being in the scenario we found ourselves in today."
As the team, SIUE commanded the match - the Cougars notched 27 shots, 11 of which found their target. The SIUE midfield and defense held TTU to just five total shots through 90-plus minutes played.
"I thought our midfield was the difference today," added Burton. "
Emma Dutko and
Andrea Frerker were outstanding on both sides of the ball all day."
The Cougars, who improve to 4-4 on the season and 1-0 in Ohio Valley Conference play, will return to Korte Stadium next Sunday for a fixture against Morehead State. The match will be streamed live on ESPN+ and tickets will be available online or at the gate.
