MONROE, La. – Paige Goeglein scored two second half goals as Middle Tennessee soccer secured a 3-1 victory over ULM on Friday afternoon.

The win gave the Blue Raiders their fifth consecutive victory, as MT (10-3, 5-0 Sun Belt) remained unblemished in conference play.

Goeglein, a senior from Fort Wayne, Ind., continued her strong season with goals at the 71^st and 86^th minutes. With the two goals on Friday, Goeglein reached 11 goals on the seasons. Her golden goal at the 71^st minute was a nation-best seventh of the year.

“ULM is a very much improved team,” noted head coach Aston Rhoden. “They made it difficult for us to play. It was a good game for us to learn. We saw some things that we haven’t seen this year. We responded positively and scored three goals.”

For the first time since Aug. 31, the Raiders were held scoreless in the first half. The offense pegged eight shots in the opening frame, but weren’t able to get the ball in the net.

The NCAA’s top-scoring offense didn’t stay off the schnide long, when freshman Amalie Anderdal scored her third goal of the season with an unassisted shot from 30 yards out at the 50^th minute.  

Just seven minutes later, ULM’s Karlea Fehr responded with a breakaway goal to tie the match at 1-1.

Goeglein found a great opportunity when a rebound was sent to her from teammate Kate Loye to give the Raiders the 2-1 advantage at the 71^st minute.

With nine minutes left in the contest, Goeglein found her second goal of the match with an unassisted score to give the Blue Raiders the assured victory.

In total, Middle Tennessee outnumbered the Warhawks 24-to-4 in shots, limiting ULM to just one second half opportunity.  Possession was also essential, as MT managed 12 corner kicks to just one for the Warhawks.

Senior Jessica Gilchrist (4-1) got the start for the Blue Raiders, recording three saves en route to her fourth victory this season. ULM’s Alex Holland fell to 3-8 despite notching nine saves.

Friday’s win gave Middle Tennessee its ninth straight over the Warhawks. The Blue Raiders visit Louisiana on Sunday afternoon in a 1pm match. Live stats and video will be available online at GoBlueRaiders.com. 

---

RECOMMENDED FOR YOU

ECNL Girls N. Atlantic Players to Watch

Women's NCAA Tournament Round Two Preview

Best of Men's College Soccer Week 13