The University of Tennessee at Martin received a clutch goal from Unni Wolf with nine minutes left to clinch 1-1 draw with Evansville in a nonconference soccer battle at McCutchan Stadium.
A freshman midfielder from Vaxjo, Sweden, Wolf found the back of the net with 9:59 remaining in the match for the equalizer after the host Purple Aces scored first in the 64th minute. It was the second collegiate goal for Wolf, who helped the Skyhawks (1-4-3) collect their third draw of the nonconference season.
UT Martin led in shots on goal (9-6) and launched 15 total attempts. Peyton Cook led the Skyhawks in shots with six (four on goal) while Makayla Robinson (three shots, one shot on goal), Izzy Patterson (two shots, one shot on goal), Nyeemah Prescod-Beckles (shot on goal) Parker Gelinas (shot), Alberte Amby (shot on goal) joined Wolf in putting intense pressure on the Evansville defense.
Goalkeeper Mac Titus played the full 90 minutes between the pipes, making five saves on the evening. Joining Titus in playing the full 90 minutes were Lorena Montesano, Shayla Addington, Anna Østergaard Ibsen, Patterson, Wolf, Cook and Gelinas.
Titus had four saves in the opening half, including back-to-back saves in the 41st and 42nd minute to carry a shutout into halftime.
Nyeemah Prescod-Beckles (46th minute), Cook (56th minute) and Patterson (64th minute) provided UT Martin with the first three shots on goal of the second half but the Purple Aces launched a counterattack to score the match’s first goal at the 63:46 mark.
After a Robinson shot on goal turned into a corner kick, the Skyhawks broke through with Wolf and knotted the contest up at 1-all.
Both sides combined for three shot attempts in the final nine-plus minutes but neither team could muster the go-ahead score.
“Evansville came out with a lot of energy on their Senior Night and made it difficult for us early,” UT Martin head coach Mike Varga said. “We settled in and created some excellent chances. The second half goal they scored caught us against the run of the play when we got a bit tired, but we did well to score the equalizer and kept pushing forward. We are getting quality looks that I have no doubt will start to find the back of the net.”
The Skyhawks continue a four-match road stretch on Sunday, Sept. 15 when they close out nonconference play against No. 7 Memphis. First touch is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN+.
