The Chattanooga women’s soccer team will host Morehead State in the non-conference finale Sunday, Sept. 19 at the UTC Sports Complex. The game is set to kick off at 1:00 p.m.
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
vs.
Morehead State
Chattanooga, Tenn. | UTC Sports Complex
1:00 p.m. Eastern time
Streamed on ESPN+
Live Stats available at GoMocs.com
Admission and parking is FREE
Gates open at 12:00 p.m.
Fans are encouraged to bring chairs/blankets as bleacher seating is limited.
CHATTANOOGA vs. MOREHEAD STATE
This will be the seventh meeting between the Mocs and Eagles and the first since 2017. UTC leads the series 3-2-1 and are 2-1 at home. After winning the first three at the turn of the century, the Mocs lost in 2004, tied in 2016 – both on the road – and fell 0-2 in Chattanooga in the last meeting.
ABOUT CHATTANOOGA
The Mocs are 3-5 overall and concluding non-conference action Sunday against Morehead State. On the regular season slate were No. 11 Auburn and No. 19 Tennessee. The Mocs held both teams scoreless through the first half. UTC averages 7.6 shots per game with a 0.88 goals percentage. Samantha Shaw leads Chattanooga with nine points on four goals. Mackenzie Smith scored her first goal of the year in the Mocs’ win over North Alabama and has a team-best three assists for five points. Abbey Saddler has 37 saves on the year and a 1.76 goals against average.
ABOUT MOREHEAD STATE
The Eagles are 2-5-1 on the year with wins over North Alabama and VMI. It’s tie came against Marshall in a game shortened by weather. MSU averages 8.9 shots and 0.88 goals per game. The Eagles have a pair of goals from Katie Klolbassa and Colleen Swift and Abby VanHoeve has a team-best two assists to go along with a goal, putting all three at the top of the scoring column with four points apiece.
MOCS NEWS AND NOTES
SHAW LEADS MOCS IN SCORING
Samantha Shaw has scored four of Chattanooga’s goals this season and is tied fourth in the SoCon. She is fourth in the league in points with nine. Her four goals is a season-best and her first three goals were scored on just three shots.
MOCS FRESHMAN ON THE PITCH
The Mocs freshmen have been featured in the lineup. UTC freshmen Kelly Tuerff and Sofia Andrade have started every game this season. JaNiya Stevens has made six starts and come off the bench twice. Ella Roth has come into the game in reserve five ties and Sylvie Keck has seen the pitch twice. Freshman keeper Sydney Weinstein got her first taste of collegiate action against Tennessee Tech.
IN EXTRA TIME
The Mocs have gone to overtime twice so far this season. After falling to Belmont 2-1 with 12 seconds remaining in double OT, Chattanooga rebounded and beat Tennessee Tech in the next match 1-0 in the first overtime period.
SEASON-OPENING WINS
UTC is 12-14 in season-openers. Chattanooga’s win over UAB to open the 2021 season was the fifth consecutive season-opening win. In home openers, UTC improved to 14-10-1 with the win over the Blazers.
MOCS OPPONENTS IN THE RANKINGS
In the preseason, the Mocs took on 18th-ranked Vanderbilt, falling 2-0 to the Commodores. In the regular season, UTC has two SEC opponents on the slate and both are ranked in the United Soccer Coaches Association Poll. Auburn, ranked 11th, beat the Mocs 3-0 on its home turf. On Sept. 12, UTC will welcome No. 19 Tennessee to the Scenic City.
ON THE CALENDAR
The Mocs will don PINK against Furman on October 8 for Breast Cancer Awareness. Fans are encouraged to join the team in the fight against this disease. Two days later, the Mocs will honor seniors Maddie Burman and Samantha Shaw in their final regular season home match.
HOME SWEET HOME
The Mocs field 21 of its 25 student-athletes from the state of Tennessee. While two come from the Chattanooga area, three are from the Memphis area and three from Knoxville and surrounding cities. a whopping 13 call middle Tennessee home.
INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR
The Mocs are no strangers to the international flavor of futbol. From the coaching staff to the players on the pitch, the Mocs have a host of international flavor. Head coach Gavin McKinney is a native of Canada born to Irish parents. Assistant Martyn Blankley comes to the U.S. from England as does graduate assistant Jess Shepherd. Sophomore Ao Yamada is a native of Japan and Sofia Andrade is a Chilean from Canada.
THE LINEUP
The Mocs return 18 letterwinners and add six newcomers to the 2020-21 roster. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, players on the team were granted another season of eligibility.
DOUBLE TAKE
For the last three seasons the Mocs have had twins Maggie and Samantha Shaw of Columbia, S.C., on the roster. This season the pair is joined by twin newcomers Dakota and Delaney Mitchell from Smyrna, Tenn.
SHAW ON PRESEASON TEAM; MOCS FOURTH
Maggie Shaw, the reigning SoCon Defensive Player of the Year, was named to the SoCon Coaches Preseason All-Conference Team. The Mocs who placed third last season, were picked to finish fourth by the league coaches, two points behind third place Mercer.
MCKINNEY BEGINS SEVENTH SEASON
Gavin McKinney begins his seventh season as the Mocs’ head coach. He picked up his 100th career win in his fifth season and was named the SoCon Coach of the Year in 2020, his sixth season, after leading the Mocs to their best finish in program history.
ARNOLD CONFERENCE-LEVEL NOMINEE
Graduate Chloe Arnold led the Mocs to their best finish last season and was Chattanooga’s pick for the NCAA Woman of the Year. She was one of two from the Southern Conference to be the conference-level nominee. She is in a pool of Division I athletes who are up for finalist for Woman of the Year. Arnold graduated last April with honors with a degree in Civil Engineering.
2020 POSTSEASON HONORS
Gavin McKinney was named the Southern Conference Coach of the Year, the second ever for Chattanooga. Maggie Shaw was the first-ever SoCon Defensive Player of the Year. She andESD named to the SoCon All-Conference First Team. Chloe Arnold and Lauren Dluzewski were named tot he Second Team. Kendra Mueller and Ao Yamada both earned a spot on the SoCon All-Freshman Team. In the postseason, Shelby Hash and Mackenzie Smith both were named to the SoCon All-Tournament Team.
MOCS PLACE RECORD NUMBER ON POSTSEASON
The Mocs placed six on the Southern Conference postseason teams. UTC received Coach of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, three all-conference and two all-freshman.
MCKINNEY NAMED SOCON COACH OF THE YEAR
Gavin McKinney, in his sixth season at Chattanooga, was named the Southern Conference Coach of the Year afer leading the Mocs to their best finish in program history. UTC posted a 6-2-1 league record that included five shutouts. This is the second COTY award for UTC. J.D. Kyzer was voted for the honor by the league coaches in 2003 when Chattanooga finished fourth.
SHAW NAMED DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Junior Maggie Shaw, a preseason pick for All-Conference, became the first UTC player to be named the Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Year. She helped the Mocs defense to a 7-2-1 overall record and six shutouts on the year. She was also named to the SoCon All-Conference First Team.
ARNOLD, DLUZEWSKI ON SECOND TEAM
Chloe Arnold received her third postseason accolade in four years with a spot on the All-SoCon Second Team. Joining her on the team is fellow senior Lauren Dluzewski with her first postseason award.
MUELLER, YAMADA NAMED ALL-FRESHMAN
Kendra Mueller scored a pair of game winning goals and found her way onto the SoCon All-Freshman Team. Midfielder Ao Yamada appeared in all 10 games for the Mocs and was named to the team as well.
THIRD SEASON AT HOME
This marks the third season the Mocs soccer team will call the UTC Sports Complex home. The complex, located next to historic Engel Stadium, former home of the Chattanooga Lookouts professional baseball team, houses three soccer fields, a clubhouse and a sand volleyball court that serves as home to the Mocs Beach Volleyball team founded in 2019.