UALR Soccer Drops Sun Belt Opener at Middle Tennessee

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Middle Tennessee (6-3-0, 1-0-0 SBC) topped UALR (1-8-0, 0-1-0 SBC) by a 5-0 final at Dean A. Hayes Track & Soccer Stadium Friday night in the Sun Belt Conference opener for both teams. Paige Goeglin, who entered the match leading the league in goals scored, and teammate Kate Loye each scored twice to lead the Blue Raider offense.

Loye added an assist on teammate Goeglin's second score early in the second half to finish the night with five points. MT turned a 2-0 halftime lead into a 5-0 win by scoring two goals in a nine-minute span to start the second period before Loye's second goal of the night in the 70^th minute capped the Blue Raider offense.

Middle Tennessee led in total shots, 27-3, including 15-2 in shots on goal. Freshmen Asia Kleinmeyer and Taylor Hoover along with junior Ashley Barksdale supplied one shot each for the Trojans. Kleinmeyer and Hoover put theirs on target.

Loye and Jorgenson led MT with six shots apiece.

Junior Natalie Marsh started in goal for UALR and surrendered four scores and made seven stops in 53:24 of work. Freshman Shantel Wittke came on in relief and made three stops and surrendered one score over the final 36:36.

Kelsey Brouwer started the match in goal for Middle Tennessee and made one stop in 63:47 of work. Jessica Gilchrist made one stop over the final 26:13 to secure the shutout.

Middle Tennessee grabbed a quick lead thanks to Goeglin's first goal in the fifth minute of the opening half. The Trojans briefly looked like they had supplied the equalizer in the 20^th minute, scoring off a free kick that would have knotted the score at 1-all. However, an offsides call against the Trojans negated the goal and maintained the Blue Raiders one-goal advantage.

The Blue Raiders pushed their lead to two with Loye's first goal of the match, and second of the season, in the 25th minute. Loye notched the score from inside the box off a helper from Jorgenson.

The UALR backline was able to hold off MT's offense for the remainder of the first half, but the Blue Raider offense was firing all cylinders to start the second. Jorgenson and Goeglin added scores at the 49:59 and 53:14 marks, respectively, to double MT's lead in less than a nine-minute span following intermission. Tori Hawkins supplied the helper on Jorgensen's score to make it 3-nill, while Goeglin accepted a feed from Loye on the Blue Raiders' fourth goal.

Loye scored off a cross from Katinka Stenberg at the 69:57 mark for MT's final goal of the match.

UALR returns to action Sunday when it takes on Western Kentucky at WKU Soccer Field. First kick is slated for 1 p.m.