The Blue Raiders traveled to Charlotte, North Carolina Wednesday night to take on No. 4-seeded Charlotte, with MTSU securing a key overtime win to extend their playoff hopes.
The first period started with a great opportunity for the Blue Raiders when they were awarded a penalty kick off of a hand-ball.
Junior defender Emily Jorgenson converted the chance for her third goal of the season. This goal was the first and only penalty kick given to Middle Tennessee all season.
Academic All-Conference awarded-goalie, Kelsey Brouwer, was crucial to the victory as she made as many saves in the first period as the opposing goalie did the entire game (3).
Middle Tennessee’s 1-0 lead stood until Charlotte’s Amanda Jones put the ball in the left corner of the net off of a breakaway rallied by Martha Thomas.
Brouwer bounced back in the second period and held the game close after making five of her eight total saves in this period.
The 1-1 tie game was forced to golden-goal overtime, with the loser being eliminated from C-USA title contention.
Academic All-Conference forward, Tori Hawkins, took a long shot that collided with the crossbar and was sent in by the team’s leading scorer, Grace Summers.
This has been a great year for Summers and multiple others for the Blue Raider women’s soccer team as they continue their C-USA title march.
Grace Summers, Kelsey Brouwer, Angie Lai, Peyton McCollum, Tori Hawkins and Kelsey Branstetter received Conference-USA honors recently.
Summers and Lai were voted C-USA Third-Team All-Conference. Branstetter, Brouwer and Hawkins were all named C-USA Academic All-Conference, and McCollum earned a spot on the C-USA All-Freshman Team.
The Blue Raiders made quick adjustments after falling to this same team last Thursday, giving them their first postseason win since switching into Conference-USA.
Middle Tennessee will take on top-seeded North Texas in the conference semifinals Friday at 6 p.m. CT.
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I have played soccer since I was four years-old. I know a lot about the game and how stressful tournament eliminations can be, especially when it comes down to overtime. It is critical for the offense, especially forwards, to follow a shot when one is taken. For example, when leading scorer, Grace Summers, followed the shot that was hit off the crossbar by Academic All-Conference forward, Tori Hawkins. While the shot sounds like a phenomenal one, it would not have been put in the back of the net if it had not been followed up by Grace Summers. It is critical for forwards and the offense to follow all shots that are taken. The opposing goalie may fumble the ball, which might lead to a goal that could be tapped into the net. This game did not seem like an easy win for the Blue Raiders. There were numerous shots taken by both teams, but it all comes down to which team can put the ball in the back of the net the most.
Being that I am a huge soccer fan, I wish the Blue Raiders the best of luck in the rest of the tournament, and in their game this Friday against the top-seed North Texas.