Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Middle Tennessee
Jax State
Women’s Soccer to begin Conference USA play with road tilt at Jax State
9/26/2026 1:32:00 PM | Women's Soccer
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Coming off its second-highest non-conference winning percentage in program history (.727), the Middle Tennessee women's soccer team will complete its second three-match road series of the season when it opens Conference USA play at Jax State Soccer Complex against Jax State on Sunday at 1 p.m.
The Blue Raiders (7-2-2) will commence their 14th season as part of CUSA in Jacksonville, Ala., where they encounter an in-form Gamecocks (3-5-2) side that has won two of its last three.
Quick Kicks
- The Blue and White finished 7-2-2 in non-conference play, posting their highest win percentage (.727) since 2009 (.812) in the first period of the season.
- Middle Tennessee Soccer began the season with a 4-0-2 record, its best start in program history.
- MTSU's defense is one of eight Division I programs to notch at least seven shutouts through non-conference play (Siena, Auburn, North Carolina, Stanford, Western Kentucky, Wake Forest, Saint Mary's (CA)).
- New players to the team have had a hand in 85% of the Blue Raiders' goals this year.
- Freshman forward Ania Denham has taken the nation by storm in her first collegiate season, scoring a team-leading seven goals and one assist for a total of 15 points through 11 games.
- Her goals and points tallies are the most by any player in CUSA.
- Five of the Welshwoman's goals have been game winners, which is a tally that she leads the nation outright in.
- In total goals, she is tied for second among freshmen and tied for seventeenth in all of Division I.
- Denham scored her third free kick of the season on Sunday against Jackson State.
- The strike also marked her fourth consecutive goal in as many contests, becoming the first Blue Raider to achieve the feat since Peyton DePriest hit the mark against Houston Baptist (Sept. 5, 2021), ETSU (Sept. 10, 2021), Vanderbilt (Sept. 12, 2021), and FIU (Sept. 16, 2021) consecutively.
- Middle Tennessee was picked to finish sixth out of 10 teams in the 2026 Conference USA Coaches Preseason Poll, after a fourth-place finish a year prior.
Series History
The Blue and White will face the Gamecocks for the 16th time in program history, including the seventh time in Jacksonville. MTSU holds a 10-4-1 series lead and a 3-2-1 advantage away from home, most recently adding to the win column with a narrow 1-0 victory in Murfreesboro on Sept. 21, 2025.
Scouting the Gamecocks
The Blue Raiders begin their 14th Conference USA season with a road test at Jax State (3-5-2, 0-0-0 CUSA).
The Gamecocks posted a 6-9-3 (0-7-1 CUSA) record a year ago, finishing 12th in the conference standings.
Jax State has won two of its last three contests, defeating Alabama State, 1-0, and Gardner-Webb, 3-2, before falling to UT Martin on Sept. 20, 1-0.
There have been three common opponents between MTSU and Jax State, with the Gamecocks defeating Troy, 4-3, tying West Georgia, 1-1, and most recently losing to UT Martin, 1-0.
In the 2026 Conference USA Preseason Poll, the Gamecocks were picked to finish 10th with 12 votes.
Jax State is led by second-year head coach Corey Smith, who is searching for his first CUSA win in Jacksonville.
Follow the Blue Raiders
Stay up to date with MTSU Soccer on Instagram (@mt_wsoccer), X (@MT_Soccer), and Facebook (Middle Tennessee Soccer).
