MT drops C-USA opener in overtime

Friday, September 26

Murfreesboro, Tenn.

7:00 p.m.

Middle Tennessee

3-5-1

*UTEP

7-3-1

OT 2

UTEP

Middle Tennessee

9/26/2014 9:23:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score

Blue Raiders fall to UTEP in overtime

By: @MTAthletics

Box Score (PDF)

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Middle Tennessee dropped its Conference USA opener in an overtime thriller with a 1-0 loss to UTEP on Friday night.

The game went back and forth from the start with both team picking up momentum and physical play through out the match. At halftime the Miners had out-shot the Blue Raiders 7-3 as MT's goalkeeper Kelsey Brouwer had collected four saves in goal.

"I thought the first half we played fairly well," Head Coach Aston Rhoden said. "From the start of the second half until the goal we played very well. We had more opportunities we just were not able to capatalize on them."

The Blue Raiders jumped off to a fast second half as they fired five shots and took three corner kicks in the first seven minutes of the second half.

"We talked about putting their backline under more pressure than we did in the first half. We made a couple changes in personel that suited the style of play and it worked and we didn't take advantage of chances we made," Rhoden said.

Ninety minutes was not enough to decide the winner as the Miners and the Blue Raiders went to overtime. In the 93 minute Bri Barreiro sent a pass across the six yard box that UTEP's Angela Cutaia drilled to the back of the net for her sixth goal of the season and the game-winner.

Brouwer finished the match with six saves to UTEP's Sarah Dilling's three saves. Brouwer has secured 166 saves in her career which ranks fourth in Middle Tennessee's record book.

MT ended the match with 11 shots with three on goal. Angie Lai led the squad with three shots and two shots on goal. Both the Blue Raiders and the Miners took six corner kicks in the match and recorded 10 fouls.

Middle Tennessee falls to 3-5-1 after its fifth overtime game of the season. The Blue Raiders return to the pitch to face C-USA foe UTSA on Sunday at 2 p.m.