BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Aug. 15, 2024) – Life on the road was not too kind for the ETSU women's soccer team in its 2024 season opener.
 
A controversial call off a shot by Reagan Fitzgerald in the 57th minute denied the Buccaneers scoring the first goal of the night, while a late foul just outside the 18-yard box set up UAB's score, as the Blazers escaped with a 1-0 victory over ETSU on Thursday night at PNC Field in Birmingham, Ala.
 
Both teams tallied 12 shots for the contest, but it was the one from Fitzgerald – the reigning Southern Conference Freshman of the Year – that left the Buccaneer faithful questioning how she wasn't credited with a goal. Following Grace Eatz stealing the ball away from a UAB player and finding Fitzgerald inside the 18-yard box, her shot ricocheted off the crossbar, went straight down and looked to have cleared the goal line for a score. On the field, the referee didn't signal a goal, and after a lengthy review, he determined there wasn't conclusive evidence to reverse the call.
 
Despite the questionable call, ETSU continued to attack and put pressure on the Blazers; however, the Bucs were never able to find the back of the net. Nearly 10 minutes after the Fitzgerald play, Jada Cooper took a shot off a corner that was blocked, but the ball found Ellie Cornell whose long-range attempt sailed inches high of the goal seconds later.
 
In the 74th minute, right after a Buccaneer cross nearly resulted in an own goal as it hit off the hip of a Blazer defender, the Blue & Gold were rewarded with their fourth corner of the night. The corner almost paid off in a goal as a shot by Annabelle Ekern made its way through traffic but was saved by Anika Toth, keeping the game scoreless.  
 
Unfortunately, momentum shifted late in the contest as ETSU was whistled for a foul just outside the box, setting up a free kick for Maia Sirota in the 83rd minute. Sirota sent one flying to the upper left-hand corner of the frame, forcing Ashton Blair to make a leaping save. From there, the goal was left wide open and Abby Graeser headed one home for the game-winning goal.
 
Ava Matherne provided the Blue & Gold with one last final attempt in the 87th minute; however, her long-distance attempt couldn't hook inside the upper left-hand corner of the frame and landed out of bounds.
 
Blair, the reigning SoCon Defensive Player of the Year, came up with a clutch save off a penalty kick in the 89th minute, but the Blazers hung on for the season-opening win.
 
Blair made seven saves on the night, moving her career total to 134. The 134 saves are tied for ninth among all-time Buccaneer leaders.
 
Eatz led all players with three shots on the night (two on goal), including an excellent attempt in the opening minutes which forced Anika Toth to make one of her four saves on the night. Fitzgerald and Jada Cooper – who made her collegiate debut – both tallied two shots. In total, 19 players saw the pitch tonight for ETSU, including Sadie Commerford getting the start in her first collegiate match. Furthermore, 14 of the Buccaneer players logged at least 35 minutes.
 
ETSU was the more aggressive team as they were called for 11 fouls and collected four yellow cards.
 
Thursday marked the first-ever meeting between the two schools as UAB improved to 1-0 and the Bucs open the season at 0-1.
 
The Bucs gear up for their home opener as ETSU hosts Eastern Kentucky on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Summers-Taylor Stadium.
 
For more information on Buccaneer women's soccer, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the women's soccer tab.