Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Friday, August 18
Nashville, Tenn.
6:30 PM
Middle Tennessee
at
Belmont
Soccer to open season Friday at Belmont
8/17/2017 1:42:00 PM | Women's Soccer
Return home Sunday to host Austin Peay
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Middle Tennessee women's soccer officially opens the 2017-18 Blue Raider athletic year this weekend, taking on Belmont in Nashville on Friday before returning home Sunday to host Austin Peay.
The Blue Raiders and Bruins are set to kick off at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Nashville's E.S. Rose Park. The two local rivals are meeting for the 15th time with MT holding an 8-5-1 advantage all-time after a 1-1 draw last season in Murfreesboro.
Belmont brings plenty of experience into the match on their home turf, boasting eight returning starters and 18 returning letterwinners from 2016. The Bruins will however have to replace their leading scorer from last season, Meg Howard, as well as the Bruin goal scorer from last season's meeting, Brittany Coca.
Austin Peay returns to the Blue Raider soccer schedule for the first time since 2014, when MT took a 4-0 advantage in the all-time series with a 2-0 win at home. The Raiders and Governors kick off at 6 p.m. Sunday following Middle Tennessee Fan Day which is held at Floyd Stadium from 2-4 p.m.
The Governors return forward Kirstin Robertson for her final collegiate season after leading the Ohio Valley Conference a season ago in points (27), tallying 11 goals and five assists on the year. The second team All-OVC honoree is joined by fellow returners Pamela Penaloza and McKenzie Dixon, a pair of OVC All-Newcomer honorees in 2016.
"We're very familiar with both of these coaches since they've been with their programs for a while," Head Coach Aston Rhoden said. "They are very well-coached and disciplined teams that do very well in their league. I think they're both going to be formidable opponents for us, but our preparation has been pretty good so far and the exhibition games were pretty helpful and insightful for us."
The two experienced sides should provide a good test for a young Blue Raider squad looking to take a step forward in 2017, while the in-state rivalry ups the stakes for Middle Tennessee in its opening weekend.
The Blue Raiders and Bruins are set to kick off at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Nashville's E.S. Rose Park. The two local rivals are meeting for the 15th time with MT holding an 8-5-1 advantage all-time after a 1-1 draw last season in Murfreesboro.
Belmont brings plenty of experience into the match on their home turf, boasting eight returning starters and 18 returning letterwinners from 2016. The Bruins will however have to replace their leading scorer from last season, Meg Howard, as well as the Bruin goal scorer from last season's meeting, Brittany Coca.
Austin Peay returns to the Blue Raider soccer schedule for the first time since 2014, when MT took a 4-0 advantage in the all-time series with a 2-0 win at home. The Raiders and Governors kick off at 6 p.m. Sunday following Middle Tennessee Fan Day which is held at Floyd Stadium from 2-4 p.m.
The Governors return forward Kirstin Robertson for her final collegiate season after leading the Ohio Valley Conference a season ago in points (27), tallying 11 goals and five assists on the year. The second team All-OVC honoree is joined by fellow returners Pamela Penaloza and McKenzie Dixon, a pair of OVC All-Newcomer honorees in 2016.
"We're very familiar with both of these coaches since they've been with their programs for a while," Head Coach Aston Rhoden said. "They are very well-coached and disciplined teams that do very well in their league. I think they're both going to be formidable opponents for us, but our preparation has been pretty good so far and the exhibition games were pretty helpful and insightful for us."
The two experienced sides should provide a good test for a young Blue Raider squad looking to take a step forward in 2017, while the in-state rivalry ups the stakes for Middle Tennessee in its opening weekend.
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