The Bucs went on the road Oct. 1 looking to get their second conference win of the season against Virginia Military Institute.
Coming into the game, the Bucs were hoping to bounce back from their past two losses in conference play. VMI was able to protect home field, beating the Bucs 1-0. It was VMI’s first win over the Bucs in the series between the teams.
On offense, the Bucs were aggressive, kicking 17 shots with five being on-goal. Six of those shots came from Eleonora Goldoni (Ferrara, Italy) who ranks amongst the top of the conference in shots and points. Of those six shots, two of them were on-goal.
It was a tight defensive game for both teams. Bucs goalkeeper Lee Ann Cutshall (Johnson City, Tennessee) came away with multiple saves on the day.
For VMI on offense, they had 15 shots with three being on-goal. VMI goalkeeper Ceci Keppeler (Stafford, Virginia) saved five shots. She is statistically the No. 1 goalie in the Southern Conference.
With 13 fouls combined between both teams, it was not a physical game, though one foul cost ETSU a chance to potentially going into overtime. A foul was called in the penalty area with 85 minutes remaining, which led to VMI getting a penalty kick. VMI took their shot to seal the game.
With that penalty kick, it was the hardest loss of the season for the Bucs. With the loss, the Bucs’ record goes to 3-9 and 1-3 in conference play.
As of now, the Bucs have struggled to win on the road with six of their losses coming away from home. The Bucs currently sit among the bottom of the conference standings, but they still have time to turn their season around with solid play on both ends of the field, and it will need to start on the defensive end.
