The Tech women’s soccer squad continued their conference success in the 2024 season, winning the Big South-OVC regular season championship for the third year in a row.
The Golden Eagles ended the regular season 6-8-5 overall, but more importantly, 6-2-1 in conference play in head coach Corey Boyd’s first season.
After a loss on the road to conference opponent Eastern Illinois on Oct. 17, the team took the road again on Oct. 20 and took down Western Illinois 3-1. Redshirt sophomore midfielder Allison Lee (11) scored the first goal in the 39th minute of the game.
This was then followed by goals from freshman defender Ebba Melin (14) and junior forward Katie Toney (6) to make the score 3-0 Golden Eagles at one point.
After a late surge from Western Illinois was denied by the Golden Eagles, the stage was set for a third-straight conference championship opportunity against Lindenwood on Oct. 27.
Tech opened up the scoring drought in the 35th minute of the game, connecting on a goal from sophomore forward Neve Renwick (7).
In the second half, after a corner by senior midfielder Lucia Cuadra (10) resulted in another goal by Alison Lee, Tech led 2-0, and everyone in the stands could sense another OVC championship on the horizon.
After a dominant performance by junior goalkeeper Maggie Conrad (0) with four saves in the game, the clock hit zero, and the Golden Eagles were champions once again.
This impressive feat allowed Tech to, once again, host both the semifinals and the championship of the OVC tournament.
However, for the Golden Eagles, the season unfortunately came to an end in the semifinals round of the OVC tournament.
Last Thursday, Nov. 7, Tech hosted Morehead State in the semifinals and lost in a shootout after regulation ended with the score 0-0.
Morehead State outlasted the Golden Eagles 3-0 in PKs to survive and advance to the OVC championship game.
Regardless of the heartbreaking loss, it was an impressive 2024 campaign for the Golden Eagles and especially for the seniors.
Senior midfielder Meredith Nye (20) was named All-OVC for the fifth time in her career, the only player in Big South-OVC history to do so.
Lucia Caudra, another senior who had an outstanding 2024 season, was named to the first team All-OVC team as well as the All-Newcomer team.
Head coach Corey Boyd has a young roster and a promising future here at Tech, and it will be exciting to see how this team is able to build on the success that they had in year one.
