Box Score
Box Score (PDF)
Morehead, Ky. - A Kris Cambron overtime winner in the 109th minute propelled Tennessee Tech to a 2-1 victory over Morehead State in the semifinals of the Ohio Valley Conference Soccer Tournament Friday Night at Jayne Stadium. The Eagles had numerous great chances throughout the match and tied the game in the 82nd minute but eventually succumbed to the Golden Eagles less than two minutes from the end of the second overtime.
Morehead State controlled play throughout the first half and held an 8-0 edge on shots. The Eagles constant pressure resulted in two grade A chances during the stanza.
MSU's first good attempt on goal came in the 15th minute after the Eagles held possession in the attacking third and sent four consecutive dangerous crosses into the penalty area. After a failed TTU clearance, the ball fell to freshman
Courtney Moriarty who laced a shot that rang of the crossbar and was then cleared by the Golden Eagles.
MSU had another top notch attempt on goal in the 22nd minute. Sophomore forward
Jillian Birchmeier moved past a TTU defender along the sideline and sent a grounded cross into the box to a waiting
Bethany Davidson. Davidson fired a bullet on goal but her shot was directly at TTU goalkeeper Kaitlyn Thacker who was able to make the save.
TTU rarely saw of possession of the ball in the half and their only promising build-up came on a counter attack. The Golden Eagle advance was called back on offside before any serious threat developed.
Thacker made the one key save of the period, while MSU goalkeeper
Lily Meisner had seen no shots has the teams headed for halftime.
The second half saw a much more evenly played match as TTU outshot MSU by a margin of 8-7.
TTU's Jen Hoffman, the OVC Offensive Player of the Year, had the first good chance of the second period when she headed a corner kick just over the top of the crossbar in the 48th minute.
MSU responded in the 50th minute with two consecutive corners after
Erin Adams just missed connecting on a header from a
Devan Jordan cross. Both corners were well struck but the Golden Eagles were able to clear the second attempt out of danger.
Moriarty had her second golden chance of the match in the 59th minute.
Lauren Seebach collected a poor TTU clearance just outside the penalty box and placed a pass across to Moriarty, who was in space 10 yards off the left post. Moriarty blasted a shot but it was directly at Thacker who made the difficult stop.
TTU found the opening goal just three minutes later after the MSU defense misplayed a long pass and Andrea Meloff collected the ball and streaked into the box. Meloff calmly placed a shot past a charging Meisner to give TTU the 1-0 lead.
MSU battled back into the match and found the equalizer in the 82nd minute. The scoring push started with a deep throw from defender Brittany MacClennan. The throw made it well into the box, and TTU eventually cleared the ball but only as far as
Stephanie Gildehaus, 40 yards out, who swiftly played the ball back into the box, where it landed at Moriarty's feet. Moriarty moved around a TTU defender and placed a cross toward the back post where Jordan was able to head it in for the equalizer. It was the team leading sixth goal of the season for Jordan and the second assist for Moriarty.
MSU threatened at the game winner in the final minute of play when the Eagles were granted a free kick just off the left edge of the TTU box. Bethany Davidson's initial kick was cleared away over the goal line and MSU was given their seventh corner of the match.
Lindsay Stefanini placed the corner towards the far post where it was headed back across the goalmouth, but no MSU players were able to get the touch needed to produce the goal and the game headed into overtime.
MSU had the best chance of the first overtime when MacLennan placed another long throw into the box. The ball cleared the first group of players and fell to
Erin Adams at the penalty spot, but her shot was well over the crossbar.
Neither team mounted much pressure in the second overtime until Cambron sprung free behind the MSU defense along the right side of the penalty box. Cambron, the OVC Co-Newcomer of the Year, looped a shot over a charging Meisner and into the net for the gamewinner.
Morehead State fired 16 shots in the match to TTU's 10. Thacker made three saves in the match, while Meisner tallied two stops.
The Eagles were ultimately undone by failing to convert on their opportunities, a point touched on by Head Coach Warren Lipka after the match.
"The whole game boils down to those missed opportunities, we hit a crossbar, we had two sitters around 12 yards out and we hit the goalkeeper. They finished their chances and that’s how it goes. This is a very unforgiving game, if you don't take care of your chances when you have them, they can come back to haunt you."
"What a great year for this team," finished Lipka. "Beating teams for the first time ever, winning the conference championship for the first team ever, first winning record ever. They have nothing to hang their heads about."
TTU advances to the championship game against the winner of UT Martin and Murray State. That game is scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m.
Morehead State finishes the season with a record of 8-7-4, and is the first team to claim a winning record in program history.
