Jordan Mueller picked up her own pass and pushed a shot into an empty net to give Chattanooga 1-0 Southern Conference women’s soccer win over Wofford on Senior Day at Finley Stadium on a cloudy Sunday afternoon.
“Pure grit by Jordan Mueller,” Chattanooga head coach Gavin McKinney said. “She is a gritty, tough, hardworking kid and it showed for the goal. She went and pressed for the ball.”
Mueller flicked the ball down field off the side of her foot, then turned and raced down the field among the Wofford defense.
As one Terrier defender and the keeper met up to get the ball in the corner of the box, Mueller swiped the ball from between them and ran to an empty goal for her fifth of the season, giving the Mocs a 1-0 lead in the 82nd minute.
The win moves Chattanooga to 5-9-4 overall and 3-4-2 in Southern Conference action. The Mocs finished sixth in the SoCon standings and received a first round bye and will play at #3 UNCG on Saturday.
The Mocs outshot Wofford 11-6 with a 4-2 shots on goal advantage. Sophomore keeper Bailey Coppedge made two saves in her eighth game this season and earned her third shutout of the year. Catherine Meyer, Chloe Arnold and Lauren Dluzewski each had two shots for Chattanooga with Mueller’s lone shot good for the score.
Wofford’s Catie Slater led the Terriers with two shots with Katie Beuerlein and Erin Wolfe each getting one shot on goal each. Keeper Alex Carroll had three saves.
This is the second straight year and third overall that the Mocs have earned the No. 6 seed. Last season UTC tied for fifth but were seeded sixth in a tie-break. Chattanooga will travel to Greensboro, N.C., for a matchup against the No. 3 seeded Spartans at 7 p.m. The two teams battled to a double overtime scoreless tie at Finley Stadium two weeks ago.