(Photo: Ben Coon/NinerTimes)
Charlotte, N.C. – The Middle Tennessee women’s soccer team came up short in the C-USA semifinals Friday night, losing to top-seeded North Texas 1-0 to end the Blue Raiders’ season.
The Blue Raiders had previously beaten North Texas 1-0 in the last matchup between both squads on September 19. In a reversal of roles though, the Mean Green edged MTSU to knock them out of the C-USA tournament.
Middle Tennessee had efficient ball movement to begin the game, generating a couple of scoring chances off crosses from Tori Hawkins and Grace Summers.
North Texas would prove to be more efficient though, as a pinpoint corner found Marchelle Davis for her fifth goal of the season, giving the Mean Green a 1-0 halftime advantage.
At the intermission, the Blue Raiders had registered four total shots from Summers, Hawkins, Emily Jorgenson and Brianna Jasenak. North Texas had tallied seven shots, including six corner kicks in what was an aggressive offensive attack from the Mean Green.
Jorgenson and Summers would lead the team with three shots each and two on goal.
Middle Tennessee’s biggest scoring chance of the night came when Amalie Anderdal connected with Kelsie Roberts on one of MTSU’s three corner kicks of the night, with Roberts heading the corner pass toward the net as a North Texas defender eventually cleared it off the goal line.
“We knew they were going to be a good team,” MT Head Coach Aston Rhoden said in a statement to MT Athletic Communications. “I think one moment with a lapse on a corner kick is all it was. All in all I’m proud of the effort the team gave, we were always in the game and we just came up a little short tonight.”
The Blue Raiders were certainly more aggressive in the second half, out-shooting North Texas 8-6 in the second half of play.
It did not translate into goals scored though, as Middle Tennessee collected six shots on goal to North Texas’ three, forcing the Mean Green’s goalkeeper to make five critical saves in the match.
MTSU junior goalkeeper Kelsey Brouwer capped off her season with two saves, bringing her season total to 96 saves.
Middle Tennessee ends the season with a 9-9-2 overall record, and fall just short of a C-USA Championship after making it to the semifinal matchup as a No. 5 seed.
“The season wasn’t as consistent as we would have liked but we put ourselves in a position to win a title and that is what our program is about to be able to do every year,” Rhoden said to MT Athletic Communications.
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