Photo by Devin P. Grimes / MTSU Sidelines
The Middle Tennessee Blue Raider soccer team’s (6-7, 3-3) weekend trip to Texas didn’t start out on the right foot, as they lost to the 24th-ranked Rice Owls by a final score of 4-2.
Rice took the lead right off the bat, scoring in the 13th minute on Nia Stallings’ seventh goal of the season. Middle Tennessee bounced right back, tying the game at one apiece off of a goal by sophomore forward Taylor Hatch just 26 seconds later.
Despite the strong start by the Blue Raiders, the Owls pulled away a little under 10 minutes later. Samantha Chaiken scored her sixth goal of the season in the 22nd minute of the match, assisted by Stallings.
The Owls added their third goal of the half on Marissa Topolski’s second tally of the year, giving them a 3-1 lead heading into halftime.
Middle Tennessee cut the lead down to 3-2 in the second half when senior midfielder Sally Gill converted a penalty kick in the 61st minute for her first goal of the season.
The Blue Raiders comeback attempt was cut short when Chaiken scored her second goal of the game on a header off of a corner kick to make the score 4-2 in the 81st minute. This lead held, and the Blue Raiders were left with a tough 4-2 defeat.
What’s next?
The Blue Raiders will look to snap out of their two-game losing streak when they play at UTEP on Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. in El Paso, Texas.
To contact Sports Editor Rusty Ellis (@RustyEllis13), email sports@mtsusidelines.com.
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