JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Sept. 24, 2026) – It's amazing what a new patch on a jersey can do to a match-up with a familiar foe.
The ETSU women's soccer team hosts the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles on Friday night in the first-ever conference meeting between the two teams. Admission is free at Summers-Taylor Stadium.
MATCHUP: ETSU (5-3-1, 2-0-0) vs. Tennessee Tech (3-4-4, 0-0-2)
DATE: September 25, 2026, 6 p.m.
VENUE: Summers-Taylor Stadium (Johnson City, TN)
TV: ESPN+ (
Keith Brake)
LIVE STATS: StatBroadcast
Jay Yelton's Buccaneers are looking for the program's first 3-0-0 start to SoCon play since 2015 when they beat VMI, UNCG, and Western Carolina to start league play. Their wins over Mercer and Wofford last week echoed the start of SoCon play in 2025, when the Bucs won their first two, three of their first four, and went unbeaten for eight games to start SoCon play last year.
Reagan Fitzgerald continues to produce for ETSU and ranks among the SoCon's top scorers. Her header late in the game at Wofford on Sunday extended her goal-scoring streak to three games and lifted her into a tie for eighth on the ETSU career goals chart alongside Molly Collinson with 21.
Ella Parker was named SoCon Defensive Player of the Week on Tuesday after anchoring a back line that pitched a pair of shutouts to start the conference leg of the season, the third and fourth for ETSU this year.
Addison Yelton's next shutout will be her 12th, tying her with Lee Ann Cutshall for third on the career list at ETSU.
The Golden Eagles scrapped their way to a pair of home draws against Chattanooga and Furman in the first week of SoCon action, but were leading in both contests before conceding late. Finding the net has been a challenge for Tech this season with a 408-minute scoring drought from August 20 to September 10 contributing to their scoring offense being ranked 309th in Division I and bottom of the SoCon. Seven different players have scored for the Golden Eagles in 2026, and freshman Emilia Kruger is the leading point-getter with a goal and two assists totaling four points. Freshman Laila McNamee and Sam Houston transfer Drew Thomas have split time in goal this season.
This is the 20th meeting between ETSU and TTU, a series that dates back to the inaugural season of Buccaneer soccer in 1997. This is Tech's first trip to Johnson City since 2021, with the last two meetings being a pair of 1-1 draws in Cookeville in 2023 and 2025. ETSU's last win came August 28, 2015, when Sarah Zadrazil scored on a rebound in the 60th minute to give the Bucs a 1-0 edge that carried them over the line.
For more information on ETSU men's soccer, go to ETSUBucs.com.
