Sports Information Stories
SKYHAWK SOCCER'S COMEBACK ATTEMPT FALLS SHORT AGAINST MURRAY STATE
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MARTIN, Tenn.- The University of Tennessee at Martin soccer team made a quality final push but couldn't complete the comeback and fell short of Murray State, 2-1.
UT Martin (2-3) put up 10 shots on the evening with six directed on goal. Makayla Robinson found the back of the net for her third goal of the fall while also leading the team in shots (three) and shots on goal (two). Abbie McHenry, Allie Buchmann, Nyeemah Prescod-Beckles and Rachel Okoro also each targeted a shot on goal.
Sophomore Poppy Bastock snared six saves on eight shots on goal for the Skyhawks, coming up just shy of tying her season-high of seven saves.
The Racers (2-4) connected for a goal in each half. In the first 45 it was Chloe Barnthouse who threaded the needle on the left side of the goal to put Murray State up early. Then in the 53rd minute, Hailey Cole scored on a deflection following a corner kick.
It was a battle back-and-forth in the second half with solid chances for both squads. After trailing 2-0, UT Martin surged forward in the 87th minute as Okoro found Robinson to give the Skyhawks a shot at the comeback.
UT Martin had one final chance at the equalizer but Robinson's header in the final seconds went out at the top right of the goal.
"I was happy to see us keep battling to the end," Skyhawk head coach Mike Varga said. "It was a frustrating match and Murray State did a good job of taking our rhythm early. We kept at it and were inches away from equalizing in the final minute."
UT Martin will hit the road for a lengthy road trip that won't see the Skyhawks play again in Martin until Sept. 24. The first matchup of the road swing will be at Indiana State at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 7 on ESPN+.
SKYHAWK SOCCER GARNERS FOUR ALL-OVC HONOREES
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BRENTWOOD, Tenn.- The Ohio Valley Conference released their All-OVC teams, and the University of Tennessee at Martin soccer team landed four players on the prestigious squads. Standouts Catey Hunt (All-OVC first team), Izzy Patterson (All-OVC first team), Makayla Robinson (All-OVC first team) and Peyton Cook (All-OVC newcomer team) received recognition for their outstanding seasons.
A three-time OVC Defensive Player of the Week winner, Hunt earns her first All-OVC nod. The McDonough, Ga. native led the OVC with three game winning goals while also aiding the backline to four shutouts in the regular season. Starting all 19 matches, the graduate totaled a career-high 1,707 minutes and finishes her career third all-time in program history in matches started.
Patterson was named to the All-OVC first team for the second consecutive season while this becomes her third all-conference accolade of her career. Along with nine shots on goal (ninth in conference play) and 25 shots (fifth in conference play), the St. Louis, Mo. native scored a career high three goals and tallied 1,608 minutes in 19 matches started.
Robinson garnered All-OVC first team honors for the first time in her career after a career-high four goal season. This marks the second all-conference recognition for the El Cajon, Calif. native who was named to the second team in 2021. Robinson blasted nine shots on goal in conference play (10th) while tying a career-best in points (9).
Cook made the most out of her first year in a UT Martin uniform, the freshman led the team in shots (37) while launching 18 shots on goal in OVC play (2nd). The Milford, Ohio native was at her best against conference opponents recording 31 shots (3rd), two goals (tied for fourth) and one assist.
This marks the fifth time in program history that the Skyhawks have racked up three or more All-OVC first teamers, and the first time since 2021 UT Martin has had a player on the all-newcomer team.
SKYHAWK SOCCER DRAWS IN HARD-FOUGHT BATTLE WITH SOUTHERN INDIANA
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MARTIN, Tenn.- The University of Tennessee at Martin soccer team found a 1-1 draw in a physical match with Southern Indiana where both teams combined for 41 shots.
Izzy Patterson scored her third goal of the season while leading the team with a career-high nine shots. Makayla Robinson (three), Peyton Cook (two), Allie Buchmann (two), Catey Hunt (one), Shayla Addington (one), Brooke Kala (one) and Rachel Okoro (one) accounted for the remainder of the attempts for the Skyhawks.
Freshman Andrea Wie got the start in goal making four saves in over 67 minutes then Poppy Bastock subbed in to finish the remainder of the match, notching one save. UT Martin received gritty 90-minute performances from Hunt, Walters, Stinson, Patterson, Addington, Buchmann and Kala.
The day started off with a bang from the Skyhawks when Patterson scored a screamer from outside the box in the 10th minute. Following the score, both teams traded chances, but no one could break through for the remainder of the first half.
As the second half began, Southern Indiana applied pressure and broke through for the equalizer courtesy of Greta Ohlwein in the 55th minute. Tough defense defined the second half and while both sides had chances, no one could cash in for the game-winner.
"We started well, and Izzy scored a nice goal early, but we really needed to find the second goal before the half and we didn't," said UT Martin head coach Mike Varga. "Southern Indiana is a hard-working team that makes the game difficult, and the wind definitely played a factor as well. It's hard to believe we have one last home regular season match. Hopefully we have a good crowd Thursday night to help recognize our seniors and what they have meant to the program."
The Skyhawks will host SIUE on Thursday, Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. The match will serve as senior night and Youth Soccer Appreciation night. The contest will be streamed live on ESPN+.
UT MARTIN CROSS COUNTRY GETS TOP-10 FINISHES FROM BOTH SQUADS IN THE ANGEL MOUNDS INVITATIONAL
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EVANSVILLE, IN.- The University of Tennessee at Martin cross country team saw a fifth-place finish from the men's team and an eight-place posting for the women's team in the Angel Mounds Invitational.
In the first 6k of the season, the Skyhawk women pushed hard in the second half of the race to earn their first top-10 finish of the season. Graduate Brooke Skoog (36th, 23:00.8) and sophomore Maggie Roy (37th) landed in the top-50 while Roy set a new personal record of 23:01.4 in the 6k. Rita Eimer (23:46.6), Gabby Brown (24:51.4) and Tori Holliday (24:57.9) ran steady to wrap up the scoring five.
The men's team got their second fifth-place finish of the season behind five top-50 placings. Sam Shuman (18th, 25:28.2) led UT Martin and was followed by Luke Johnson (20th, 25:37.2), Hudson Hall (25th, 25:54.5), Brady Millikin (41st,26:21.5) and Colten Glosser (48th, 26:37.5) who also performed well for the Skyhawks.
Next up, UT Martin will get set for the Ohio Valley Conference Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Oct. 28th in Morehead, Kentucky.
SKYHAWK MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY TRAVELS TO GAINESVILLE FOR THE NCAA SOUTH REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
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MARTIN, Tenn.- The University of Tennessee at Martin men's cross country team will wrap up their 2023 season with the NCAA South Regional Championship in Gainesville, Florida on Friday, Nov. 10 at 9:30 a.m.
The Skyhawks are coming off a strong performance at the Ohio Valley Conference Championship where they finished fifth at the Eagle Trace Golf Course in Morehead, Ken. Sam Shuman earned All-OVC first-team honors with a fifth-place finish and a personal record of 23:54.77. Sophomore Luke Johnson captured All-OVC second-team accolades with an 11th-place finish and a PR of 24:17.31.
Shuman is primed for another big day as the sophomore has led UT Martin in the past three races and following closely behind him has been the 2021 OVC Freshman of the Year, Johnson. Junior Hudson Hall will attempt to duplicate his PR (25:17.2, 8K) from the OVC Championship when the Skyhawks head down to the Sunshine State.
Junior Brady Millikin has put together back-to-back top-50 finishes in his last two races with a 25:24.7 in Morehead, Ky. two weeks ago. Senior Colten Glosser has also performed well at the end of this season with two top-50 finishes in a row which included a PR of 25:08.2 at the OVC Championship.
Ethan Knight aims to build on his PR (24:58.6, 8K) and 30th place finish in the conference championship and freshman Angus Monro has steadily improved as the year has progressed. Monro nailed a PR of 25:03.5 which was good enough for 35th at the OVC Championship.
The race will be UT Martin's first and only 10K of the season and will take place at the Mark Bostick Golf Course. The competition can be followed through live results.