The Skyhawk soccer squad has gotten off to a slow start this season, going 0-1-2 following their initial win against Arkansas State prior to their SEC matchup against Mississippi State (MSU).
Going into their first game of this week on Sept. 1 against Western Carolina, the Skyhawks came off a 0-0-2 week following stalemates against Little Rock and Evansville.
This week’s first game was a trip to Cullowhee, North Carolina, to battle the Western Carolina Catamounts. In a thrilling shootout, UTM would fall to their eastern opponent in a 4-5 loss.
The early minutes of the game saw mixed results for the Skyhawks. An own-goal in the ninth minute of play put the Skyhawks up 0-1 before the Catamounts put two shots in the back of the net in the 17th and 18th minutes.
Kate Swartout of NCU netted WCU’s second point of the night. Mackenzie Wright capitalized on a penalty kick the following minute, putting the Skyhawks in a 0-3 hole.
Redshirt sophomore forward Jill Hildreth sparked some life back into the team with her third goal of the season in the 21st minute of play.
WCU didn’t lose momentum, however, as Regan Ward of the Catamounts buried a close-range shot in the 32nd minute, followed by a Payton Creed goal from the right side.
For the Skyhawks, senior forward Nicole Collins scored her first goal of the season in the 50th minute to cut the deficit to 3-4.
Renee Saneholtz struck for the Catamounts in the 74th minute off of a corner kick to notch WCU’s last goal of the game.
Hildreth added another goal to her impressive start on the season in the 77th minute, giving the match a final score of 4-5.
As a team, UTM trailed in shots with six compared to WCU’s 10. Junior goalkeeper Erica Meyers led the game in saves with three.
Following the loss to WCU, the Skyhawks will venture to Starkville, Mississippi, to take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs will face the Skyhawks with a 3-1 record, only losing once to Brigham Young University.
Both UTM and MSU are coming off winning seasons last year. The Bulldogs, a Big Ten conference school went 9-7-2 in 2018 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament, where they fell to Lipscomb in a second overtime loss in the first round.
The Skyhawks, on the other hand, had a record-setting year in 2018 that saw the girls in blue and orange win the regular season championship and advance to the OVC Tournament Championship, where UTM fell to Murray State 1-2.
The UTM v. MSU game can be viewed on the SEC Network Plus.
The Skyhawks fell to WCU in an offensive spectacle, and have dropped to 0-1-2 since Aug. 25. UTM will look to end the skid when they face off against Mississippi State at 7 p.m. on Sept. 5. The game can be viewed on SEC Network Plus. | Photo Credit / Sports Information
