MARTIN, Tenn. – A defensive battle highlighted Middle Tennessee’s season-opening match on Sunday as the Blue Raiders and UT Martin played to a 0-0 double-overtime draw at Skyhawk Field.

The Blue Raiders (0-0-1) made their debut as a member of Conference USA with 17 shots, including nine on goal. Goalkeeper Kelsey Brouwer had a standout performance, collecting eight saves in 110 minutes of action. The Franklin native was just one save shy of her career record set against Ole Miss last fall.

Sophomore strikers Amalie Anderdal and Kate Loye both had five shots each.  Four of Anderdal’s five attempts were on goal. Freshman Rachael Figg followed up with two shots of her own. Five other Blue Raiders also fired off shots.

UT Martin (0-1-1) finished with 16 shots and nine saves. Preseason All-OVC selection Mariah Klenke notched nine saves in the contest. The Skyhawks had six corner opportunities compared to five for Middle Tennessee.

The first half was mostly even with UT Martin having a slight 5-3 edge in the shots column. Both teams had three corner opportunities. Brouwer collected three saves for MT, while UTM’s Klenke picked up a pair of stops. Loye led the Raiders with two shots in the opening frame.

In the second half, MT’s Tori Hawkins fired a close-range shot at 23:54, but a nice play by the UTM defender and keeper preserved the tie. A few minutes later, Figg’s header rolled just a few feet away from the net.   Seconds later, Madison Ledet’s long-arching kick sailed above the high post.

UT Martin had some chances in the second half but were held at bay by Brouwer. The sophomore keeper recorded two saves during that stretch. In total, MT outshot the Skyhawks 8-6 in the second half.

In the first overtime period, Loye’s shot was deflected at the seventh minute mark. In the second OT, Brouwer defended a shot from Michelle Calmeyn. Anderdal used a pair of charging shots in the span of 30 seconds that were both saved by Klenke.

Anderdal, a native of Hole, Norway, fired off the final shot of the match with 14 seconds remaining, but the UT Martin keeper safely secured the ball.

Middle Tennessee returns to Murfreesboro for its 2013 home opener against Lipscomb on Friday, Aug. 30. The match is set for a 7 p.m. kickoff at Dean A. Hayes Track & Soccer Stadium.  

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