Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Thursday, August 27
Murfreesboro, Tenn.
7 p.m.
Middle Tennessee
4-0-1, 0-0-0
3
vs
2
Miami (OH)
1-3-0, 0-0-0
| Team | 1 | 2 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miami (OH) | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Middle Tenn. | 0 | 3 | 3 |
Women's Soccer stages comeback to remain unbeaten in second-half five-goal thriller
8/28/2026 12:19:00 AM | Women's Soccer
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – The Middle Tennessee women's soccer team trailed twice before scoring two late goals to steal the victory from Miami (OH) on Thursday night.
Penalty kicks from Hannah Murphy and Ania Denham on either side of a scrappy finish from Payton Pitman improved the Blue Raiders to 4-0-1, meaning they are unbeaten through their first five games in a season for only the third time in program history (1999, 2006).
''I think our resilience was pretty good. We showed some character and that we can manage some adversity,'' MTSU head coach Aston Rhoden said. ''I was really proud of the fact that we stayed with it and ultimately got a win.''
The Blue Raiders were on the defensive for most of the first half, with Murphy registering their only shot of the period. On the other hand, the RedHawks rattled off five shots, continuously testing goalkeeper Demi Gronauer to no avail.
In the 48th minute, Miami midfielder Morgan Tyrakoski attempted a one-time finish from a free kick that was blocked, which led to a scramble in the box that Gronauer was able to get her hands on.
The RedHawks finally broke through the Blue and White's perfect defense in the 57th minute, when midfielder/forward Kayla Perfect unleashed a curling effort from outside the box that Gronauer could not fully parry, ending her flawless streak in goal at 419 minutes.
However, MTSU quickly responded, as Murphy drew a foul in the penalty area in an attempt to shoot Denham's layoff pass. The captain powered her shot into the center of the net, scoring her second goal and penalty kick of the season and the second penalty goal of her career.
In the 73rd minute, Nev Herzog won a challenge in the defensive half before finding Alli Craig on the wing. The sophomore forward then found Murphy in the middle, who transitioned the ball to the left side of the pitch with Hailey Phillips waiting. The Sammamish, Wash., native took a shot that was parried by RedHawk goalkeeper Popa Dominique, and Pitman was in the right place at the right time to slot it home, tying the game with 15 minutes to play.
Although Murphy, Middle Tennessee's penalty taker, was on the field, the senior captain opted to pass it on to hotshot freshman Denham, who made no mistake finding the bottom-left corner to deliver the victory for the Blue Raiders and keep their unbeaten streak alive.
Denham is now the first Blue Raider to score in successive matches since Emma Pettersen against UTEP (Oct. 19, 2025) and Kennesaw State (Oct. 25, 2025), and the first freshman Blue Raider to score in consecutive games since Lexi Dendis against North Alabama (Aug. 29, 2024) and Bellarmine (Sept. 1, 2024).
The three total penalty kicks in the match were the most for Middle Tennessee since Oct. 11, 2018 against FIU and the two penalty scores for MTSU were the most since Oct. 17, 2019, also against FIU.
Murphy's and Denham's penalty goals bring the Blue and White's tally up to three on the season, marking the most since 2021, when they achieved five in one season.
Up Next
Middle Tennessee will continue its three-game homestand against Lipscomb on Sunday, Aug. 30, at 6 p.m., before Purdue comes to town on Sept. 3 at 7 p.m.
Follow the Blue Raiders
Stay up to date with Middle Tennessee Soccer on Instagram (@mt_wsoccer), X (@MT_Soccer), and Facebook (Middle Tennessee Soccer).
Penalty kicks from Hannah Murphy and Ania Denham on either side of a scrappy finish from Payton Pitman improved the Blue Raiders to 4-0-1, meaning they are unbeaten through their first five games in a season for only the third time in program history (1999, 2006).
''I think our resilience was pretty good. We showed some character and that we can manage some adversity,'' MTSU head coach Aston Rhoden said. ''I was really proud of the fact that we stayed with it and ultimately got a win.''
The Blue Raiders were on the defensive for most of the first half, with Murphy registering their only shot of the period. On the other hand, the RedHawks rattled off five shots, continuously testing goalkeeper Demi Gronauer to no avail.
In the 48th minute, Miami midfielder Morgan Tyrakoski attempted a one-time finish from a free kick that was blocked, which led to a scramble in the box that Gronauer was able to get her hands on.
The RedHawks finally broke through the Blue and White's perfect defense in the 57th minute, when midfielder/forward Kayla Perfect unleashed a curling effort from outside the box that Gronauer could not fully parry, ending her flawless streak in goal at 419 minutes.
However, MTSU quickly responded, as Murphy drew a foul in the penalty area in an attempt to shoot Denham's layoff pass. The captain powered her shot into the center of the net, scoring her second goal and penalty kick of the season and the second penalty goal of her career.
Just three minutes later, the RedHawks would draw a penalty kick of their own, with Perfect once again putting her team ahead in the 62nd minute.Ice in her veins 🥶
— Middle Tennessee Soccer (@MT_Soccer) August 28, 2026
60' | MTSU 1, Miami (OH) 1 pic.twitter.com/0kNHUtAu0O
In the 73rd minute, Nev Herzog won a challenge in the defensive half before finding Alli Craig on the wing. The sophomore forward then found Murphy in the middle, who transitioned the ball to the left side of the pitch with Hailey Phillips waiting. The Sammamish, Wash., native took a shot that was parried by RedHawk goalkeeper Popa Dominique, and Pitman was in the right place at the right time to slot it home, tying the game with 15 minutes to play.
The Blue and White's second equalizer of the night turned the match on its head, as they only allowed one shot from Miami for the rest of the contest, compared to MTSU's four. With no breakthrough and five minutes to play, Saachi Bureau took her defender into the box before being taken down from behind, offering her team the chance to take its first lead of the night.Payton cleans up the shot to bring us level!
— Middle Tennessee Soccer (@MT_Soccer) August 28, 2026
71' | MTSU 2, Miami (OH) 2 pic.twitter.com/Idw2mMnjwR
Although Murphy, Middle Tennessee's penalty taker, was on the field, the senior captain opted to pass it on to hotshot freshman Denham, who made no mistake finding the bottom-left corner to deliver the victory for the Blue Raiders and keep their unbeaten streak alive.
Denham is now the first Blue Raider to score in successive matches since Emma Pettersen against UTEP (Oct. 19, 2025) and Kennesaw State (Oct. 25, 2025), and the first freshman Blue Raider to score in consecutive games since Lexi Dendis against North Alabama (Aug. 29, 2024) and Bellarmine (Sept. 1, 2024).
The three total penalty kicks in the match were the most for Middle Tennessee since Oct. 11, 2018 against FIU and the two penalty scores for MTSU were the most since Oct. 17, 2019, also against FIU.
Murphy's and Denham's penalty goals bring the Blue and White's tally up to three on the season, marking the most since 2021, when they achieved five in one season.
Up Next
Middle Tennessee will continue its three-game homestand against Lipscomb on Sunday, Aug. 30, at 6 p.m., before Purdue comes to town on Sept. 3 at 7 p.m.
Follow the Blue Raiders
Stay up to date with Middle Tennessee Soccer on Instagram (@mt_wsoccer), X (@MT_Soccer), and Facebook (Middle Tennessee Soccer).
Players Mentioned
M
/ Women's Soccer
F
/ Women's Soccer
F
/ Women's Soccer
F
/ Women's Soccer
GK
/ Women's Soccer
M
/ Women's Soccer
F/M
/ Women's Soccer
F
/ Women's Soccer
F
/ Women's SoccerTeam Stats
Miami
MTSU
Goals
2
3
Shots
11
8
Shots on Goal
4
4
Saves
1
2
Corners
6
2
Fouls
9
4
Scoring Plays
Morhea Hoefen (1)
GOAL by Miami Hoefen, Morhea.
56:14
Hannah Murphy (1)
MTSU Hannah Murphy PENALTY KICK GOAL.
58:47
Kayla Perfect
Miami Kayla Perfect PENALTY KICK GOAL.
61:43
Payton Pitman (1)
GOAL by MTSU Pitman, Payton.
72:08
Ania Denham (2)
MTSU Ania Denham PENALTY KICK GOAL.
85:40
Game Leaders
Shots
3
SOG
2
Goals
1
Assists
0
fwd
Shots
3
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
0
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