MOREHEAD, Ky. – Tennessee Tech's Jen Hoffman scored three times, the third score of the hat trick coming in overtime, as the Golden Eagles overcame a 2-0 second-half deficit and defeated Eastern Illinois women's soccer, 3-2, Thursday evening in the opening round of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament.
The loss ends the Panthers' season with a 7-8-5 record. Tech (6-11-3) advances to play top-seeded Morehead State Friday at 4 p.m. (CST).
Two of EIU's last three games this season were overtime losses at Morehead State's Jayne Stadium. The Panthers suffered multiple overtime losses this year for the first time since 2003.
Hoffman, the OVC Offensive Player of the Year, capped the hat trick with a goal 35 seconds after the beginning of the second overtime period. She also scored in the 61st and 72nd minutes of regulation.
The Golden Eagles snapped a 10-game winless streak against EIU with the victory. Tech's last win in the series was also in overtime, in the championship game of the 2000 OVC Tournament. Coincidentally, all three TTU victories in the all-time series have come in OT.
Sarah Rusk and
Kaitlin Sullivan accounted for the Panthers' goals, scoring two minutes and 54 seconds apart early in the second half. Rusk gave EIU the lead in the 48th minute with a blast into the top right corner of the goal after a pass from
Alexis Miller. Sullivan scored from the right flank on the outer edge of the 18-yard box in the 52nd minute.
“After we scored the second goal we lost focus,” EIU head coach Summer Perala said. “Their first goal was a bit of a fluke. Then our heads dropped and it was panic mode after they tied it. It seemed like it took us 15 minutes to get going again. I didn't have any doubts we wouldn't get the job done. The message was take a deep breath and relax. We tend to lose focus technically after we got down.
“We weren't tight enough with our pressure on the first two goals. In overtime, we didn't cover [defensively] the way we should have covered; and #Jenny [Williams]# either misjudged it or lost it in the lights. But the seniors have no reason to hang their heads. They built it back up this year after experiencing some struggles.”
Sullivan scored in OVC Tournament play for the second year in a row. It was her third goal of the season and sixth career. Rusk's goal was her second of the season, both coming against Tech. It was her career but first in the postseason.
Hoffman scored all three goals with lengthy lob shots from the right side of the field. She connected from connected from 30 yards out for her first and third scores. The equalizer was scored from 20 yards out into the right side of the net. Hoffman managed to score on all three of TTU's shots on goal in the game and only shot overall of overtime.
Eastern enjoyed a 20-11 edge in the final shot count. It was the team's highest shot total in a game away from Lakeside Field this season.
On three occasions, Panthers had quality scoring attempts sail high over the crossbar. Miller missed high with a big blast from 20 yards out in the center of the field in the 22nd minute.
Kristin Germann also saw shots attempts from the middle of the 18-yard box go over the crossbar in the 64th and 81st minutes.
Rachel Hamilton setup both chances with a flip throw-in and cross, respectively.
Sullivan accounted for both EIU shots in overtime, challenging Tech goalkeeper Kaitlin Thacker in the 98th minute. Thacker finished with five saves.
The Panthers will have to bid adieu to five seniors but are slated to return 17 players for the 2010 season.
