- University of Tennessee at Chattanooga sophomore Jordan Mueller (Hendersonville, Tenn.) scored two goals and assisted on the third to lead the Mocs to a 3-2 season-opening win over Austin Peay Friday night at Finley Stadium.
“We started off the year with a win,” head coach Gavin McKinney said. “That’s fantastic. I thought there were moments in the game where we were quite good. We looked dangerous off the counterattack, which is where two of our goals came from.”
The first goal came in the fourth minute.
Junior Masey Fox (Greenback, Tenn.) picked up the ball near midfield and raced down the left sideline. She cut toward the goal near the endline and sent a pass to the top of the six-yard box. Mueller picked it up and with one flick, sent it into the back of the net to give the Mocs an early lead.
Austin Peay responded at the 35:58 mark with a goal off a corner kick. The ball made it into the box in front of the net. APSU’s McKenzie Dixon picked it up and pushed it toward the goal. It was helped along by Renee Semaan to tie it up.
It wouldn’t stay that way for long. The Mocs scored one off their own corner. Senior McKenzie Gregg (Newport, Tenn.) kicked the ball to the far side with Mueller waiting. She pushed the shot into the center of the goal and put the Mocs back on top just moments later and Chattanooga carried a 2-1 lead into the locker room.
“We converted Jo into a center forward last spring,” McKinney said. “We thought she had a knack for getting in the right area in the box. She scored four goals last year as a center mid and she’s getting better every day. She and Chloe [Arnold] are a handful up there to deal with. Great start for Jo.”
Mueller would get in on the Mocs’ third goal, but this time it would be with an assist. She and her defender were alone down in the box and Mueller was able to shake her long enough to see freshman Catherine Meyer (Hendersonville, Tenn.) charging in on the left side. She passed the ball across the box and Meyer got it past the Governors’ keeper for her first goal.
“We couldn’t be happier for Catherine Meyer,” McKinney said. “She’s recovered from an ACL injury. For her to come back and in the first regular season game, find the back of the net, we’re happy for her.”
That goal would prove to be the game winner. Austin Peay managed a goal from Kirstin Robertson in the 62nd minute to get to within one. She eluded three UTC defenders and knocked the ball into the net to make it 3-2. However, it would be the Mocs’ defense that held on for the win.
“Defensively, I thought the girls worked extremely hard for each other,” McKinney said. “Team spirit was phenomenal, particularly at the end. They were stepping out to block shots and doing whatever it took to win the game. It shows us as a coaching staff that the group has a winning mentality.”
The Mocs were outshot 15-5, but scored three goals in the contest. Sophomore Melia Correa (Clarksville, Tenn.) had seven saves in the game while playing all 90 minutes in goal.
“Melia has great presence in the goal for us,” McKinney said. “We gave her the majority of starts last year as a freshman. She got a ton of experience and win continue to grow each game for us.”
The Mocs, 1-0, will take on Eastern Kentucky Sunday afternoon at Finley Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 2:00 p.m. Stay after the game to meet the team and get autographs on the field. Admission is free. For those who can’t make the game, live scoring and video streaming are available online at GoMocs.com. Just follow the links on the schedule page.