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East Tennessee State University

Ava Matherne 2023 vs UTC
1
ETSU ETSU (9-2-5, 5-1-2)
1
Samford SAM (9-3-5, 5-1-2)
ETSU ETSU
(9-2-5, 5-1-2)
1
Final
1
Samford SAM
(9-3-5, 5-1-2)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
ETSU ETSU 0 1 1
Samford SAM 1 0 1

Game Recap: Women's Soccer |

Bucs recover for 1-1 draw at Samford

Matherne screamer cancels out own goal, keeps seed hopes high 

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Oct. 15, 2023) - ETSU scored both goals in their match at Samford on Sunday. Unfortunately, only one of them helped their cause. 
  
The Buccaneers played to a 1-1 draw against the Samford Bulldogs on Sunday at Shauna Yelton Field. An own goal put them behind early, and a sensational volley from Ava Matherne brought them level just shy of the hour mark. 
  
In the eighth minute, Whitaker Buchanan led the break for the Bulldogs (9-3-5, 5-1-2) and launched a cross from the left side of the box. The ball caught center back Madison Hook in a tough spot running full speed toward the left post. Hook was left with nowhere to steer the clearance attempt except squarely into the net, putting the Buccaneers (9-2-5, 5-1-2) behind for the balance of the first half. 
  
The Bucs bolted out of halftime and pressed the Bulldogs until the right moment came, and the moment was spectacular. 
  
After a corner by Ruby Teixeira bounced around off a pair of Samford headers, Hook turned the ball with her right foot and found Matherne just inside the box on the left wing. The freshman smashed a volley into the top-left corner just out of the reach of Zoe Clevely for her second goal of the year. 
  
They kept the pressure on, and Sinoxolo Cesane missed a turning volley in the 77th minute. Cesane had another good look that missed inches over the bar in the 85th minute. Two minutes later, a corner that slipped through the fingers of Asthon Blair was cleared off the line by Paige Carlsen to preserve the draw for the Bucs. In the final seconds, Teixeira had time and space in the box, but a shot that looked destined for the back post was pushed away by a Samford defender, sealing the draw. 
  
ETSU was outshot 12-10 by Samford, but the Bucs outshot the Bulldogs 10-6 in the second half. Cesane paced the Bucs with five shots and three shots on goal. Blair was denied the outright single-season shutout record but made four saves against five shots on goal. 
  
The result locks Western Carolina in as the outright SoCon regular season champion, and ETSU and Samford will finish some combination of second and third pending the results of next Sunday's games. 
  
The Buccaneers return home for the regular season finale against Western Carolina on Sunday, October 22, with a 2 p.m. kickoff at Summers-Taylor Stadium. Admission is free. 
  
For more information on ETSU women's soccer, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the women's soccer tab. 
 
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