Story by Jacob Young / Staff Writer
Photo by Brent Beerends / MT Athletics
Middle Tennessee ended the regular season on a down note with a 4-0 road loss against Southern Miss on Sunday. Freshman goalie Maddy Kim was the lone bright spot for the Blue Raiders, tallying six saves on the day in her first career start.
Early on, it looked as if the Blue Raiders were in for a good day with five shots in the first 13 minutes, two of which were on goal by Angie Lai and Courteney Gibson.
In the 21st minute, the Eagles were awarded a penalty kick which would be stymied by Kim. However, just a minute later, USM would put a shot in the net, giving them the early lead.
As the first half went on, Southern Miss stayed aggressive and wouldn’t allow hardly any MTSU opportunities to put points on the board.
Momentum would carry into the second half for USM as they scored in less than two minutes out of halftime, doubling their lead.
Middle Tennessee did not go away quietly though as a quick burst of shots by Amber Hoot, Casey Riemer and Haley Nishimoto gave the Blue Raiders some energy.
Southern Miss, however, would add some insurance to their lead in the 60th minute, giving the Eagles a commanding 3-0 lead when Stephanie Garcia notched her second goal of the day. Garcia would complete the hat trick only minutes later, putting the Eagles up 4-0 on her third goal.
The loss ends Middle Tennessee’s season as they failed to make the Conference USA Tournament for the first time in three seasons. The young Blue Raiders will look forward to the 2017 season that holds much promise.
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