MT Drops 2-1 Decision at Home

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Middle Tennessee dropped a 2-1 decision to Jacksonville State in soccer action Saturday afternoon at Lady Raider Soccer Field, as the visiting Gamecocks jumped out to a two-goal lead and weathered a late surge by the homestanding Blue Raiders.

The Gamecocks tallied the first goal of the match in the eighth minute when the Blue Raiders headed down a ball in the 18-yard box and JSU's Jane Little sailed a shot over the outstretched arms of MT goalie Emily Shrum for a 1-0 lead. JSU outshot the Blue Raiders, 8-6, in the first half, but neither team could scratch across another goal before halftime.

In the second half the Gamecocks (1-2) played a perfect game of give-and-go between Krista Miller and Angela Tribble, with Tribble chipping an easy ball over Shrum for a 2-0 advantage.

The Blue Raiders (1-2) had several excellent chances in the second half, including shots on goal near the six-yard box from Laura Miguez and Danielle LaDuke, but JSU goalie Adriana Fenelli was up to the challenge, making saves each time and four saves overall in the match.

Lisa Langrish, a freshman from Dorset, England, got Middle Tennessee on the board on a restart in the 70th minute. Langrish laced a ball into the upper right corner, cutting the deficit to 2-1. But the Blue Raiders ran out of time, with the Gamecocks picking up their first win of the campaign.

"We didn't play well today at all," MT second-year head coach Scott Ginn said. "We just didn't come out and accept the challenge.

"We played passive in the first half, but we did play a little better in the second half. We gave the ball away too much and we didn't put enough pressure on the ball defensively."

The Gamecocks outshot MT, 13-10, in the contest. Shrum had five saves in the loss for the Blue Raiders.

MT travels to Appalachian State and East Tennessee next weekend on Friday and Sunday, respectively, before beginning a three-game homestand on Tuesday, September 25, with a 4 p.m. match against Murray State. The Blue Raiders will also begin conference play during the homestand with a September 28 match against defending Sun Belt Conference champion Florida International.

Follow the Blue Raiders on Twitter @MTAthletics for continued updates.