The Lindenwood women’s soccer team (6-7-6, 2-2-4 OVC) will take on top-seeded Tennessee Tech (7-4-5, 5-0-3 OVC) in the OVC Championship semifinals on Friday, November 4 at 4:00 p.m. from Cookeville, Tenn.
“Our program has been the first to do a lot of new experiences this year and we will be leaving here Thursday with a lot of belief.” said head coach Dave Musso. “Tennessee Tech is the OVC Regular Season Champion, so we have great opportunity ahead of us Friday. We have a resilient group that lives for the now and we will compete and enjoy every minute.”
Lindenwood has made quite the impression across the Ohio Valley Conference in its first NCAA Division I season. Picked to finish ninth in the league, the Lions finished in fifth place and secured a birth into the conference championships.
In the OVC tournament, Lindenwood has been strong on the road, defeating Southern Indiana and Southeast Missouri State to set up a matchup with Tennessee Tech in the semifinals. In the opening round, Lindenwood bested the Screaming Eagles by a score of 2-1, behind goals from Maggie Weller and Lily Sutter. In the quarterfinals, the Lions outlasted the Redhawks in penalty kicks.
In the matchup against SEMO, Jacqueline Baetz would convert from the spot in the 35th minute and would do it again in the penalty kick shootout. Jill Wipke nailed her attempt, sealing the victory for Lindenwood. Goalkeeper Sam Blazek put together a strong performance, compiling a career-high 14 saves, including denying all four in the penalty kick shootout.
Lindenwood and Tennessee Tech played to a 0-0 draw earlier this season. In the matchup against the Golden Eagles, Blazek made eight saves. So far this season, Blazek has made 110 saves, second most in a single season in program history.
The winner will advance to the championship game and take on the winner of SIUE and Morehead State on Sunday, November 6 at 1:00 p.m. Both games can be seen on ESPN+
