On a breezy, but sunny afternoon at Finley Stadium, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women’s soccer team fell 2-1 to Tennessee Tech in a shortened scrimmage while conceding a late goal for a draw with Austin Peay.
“Sometimes with the spring, you never know what you’re going to get,” Chattanooga head coach Gavin McKinney said. “There are way less competitions and its training against yourself and a lot of fitness and work with your strength coach.
“When you actually get to compete against another university, sometimes, it’s the unexpected.
I though as the day went we got better and better.”
The Golden Eagles scored first in the opening period, but it wouldn’t take long for the Mocs to get on the board on a header bumped in by Hannah Torbett, assisted by Masey Fox. The Mocs would get off one more shot in the 25-minute opening frame.
In the second half, transfer Mallory Burman scorched a shot in that banged off low on the left post and Abby Linder’s header off a corner kick went wide.
Tennessee Tech hit the game winner, sending a free kick into the top left of the goal. Chattanooga keeper Bailey Coppage made a pair of saves, but the Mocs’ offense couldn’t find the net the rest of the way.
The Golden Eagles and Austin Peay played the second 50-minute scrimmage to a 0-0 draw.
The Mocs played a much stronger game overall against Austin Peay, holding the Lady Govs scoreless for nearly 47 minutes.
Chattanooga got off a few shots in the opening period, but it would be a pass from Ellie Myrick to Peyton McCollum in the box for the first score of the game and the Mocs would lead 1-0 at the break. Myrick had a chance for a second score before the mid-game whistle as she cut through the defense but her shot from inside the 18-yard box went wide.
The second half saw the Mocs controlling most of the game, keeping the ball on their end of the field, but the Lady Govs would be the ones to find the net on a late goal off a corner kick with just minutes to play.
“In the first game, I thought maybe we underperformed a little bit,” McKinney said. “The things we worked on in training maybe didn’t carry over in that first one. Although there was spurts where we played well.
“I thought the second game, although we ended up conceding on a late corner, I thought we were very good throughout the game. We created chances and played well.”
More than 100 fans were on hand for the scrimmages. The Mocs will host Tennessee Wesleyan next Saturday at Finley Stadium with a noon kick off. Admission is free and gates will open to the public one hour prior to kickoff.