University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
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Mississippi State
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Vols Earn Eighth Shutout in Tie at Mississippi State
September 25, 2015 | Soccer
STARKVILLE, Miss. --Tennessee opened its two-game road trip on Friday night with a 0-0 draw against Mississippi State in Starkville.
The Vols (5-1-4, 1-1-1 SEC) had a tough time generating offense in the first half against a scrappy Mississippi State (3-5-2, 1-1-1 SEC) side. Tennessee's only shot of the first half came in the 36th minute on a hard drive by Danielle Marcano from the top of the box that was saved by Bulldogs' goalkeeper Tanya de Souza.
Redshirt senior keeper Julie Eckel was a bright spot for the Volunteers in the first 45 minutes, making four saves and punching multiple balls away off corner kicks to keep the game scoreless entering halftime.
The Big Orange came out with more energy after the break and went on to outshoot the Bulldogs, 7-3, in the second half but were unable to find the back of the net.
The Vols best chance came in the 56th minute when Gabby Santorio rattled the crossbar from about 15 yards out. Ariel Kupritz, who led the Vols with three shots on the night, also had a good chance as time expired but her shot was saved by de Souza.
Tennessee controlled play in overtime, posting six shots in the extra two periods to just three by the Bulldogs. However, the Vols had to survive a late scare as Carlyn Baldwin cleared the ball off the goal line with just seconds remaining after a scramble ensued in the box off a corner kick.
Despite being outshot 7-1 in the first half, Tennessee ended up with a 14-13 shot advantage at the end of the game. Eckel was superb on the night, making seven saves en route to earning her conference-leading seventh shutout this season.
The Vols have a quick turnaround as they travel to Nashville to square off against in-state conference rival Vanderbilt on Sunday at 5 p.m. ET. Fans can catch the game live on the SEC Network/WatchESPN.
