Bucs move to 2-0 on season with commanding, 5-1 victory at Tennessee Tech

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. (August 24, 2014) – Sophomore forward Simona Koren (Graz, Austria) was one of four ETSU players to find the back of the net Sunday afternoon as the Bucs cruised past Tennessee Tech, 5-1.

Koren, who played in just nine games last season due to injury, scored two goals Sunday and has registered three goals in the Bucs' first two contests.

Senior defender Jasmin Dutton (Kinmel Bay, Wales) dished out three assists in the Bucs' win, while Cecilia Re (Busnago, Italy), Hannah Short (Bristol, England), and Molly Collinson (Cramlington, England) each scored goals. Short recorded an assist to go along with her score, while Sarah Zadrazil (St. Gilgen, Austria) also dished out an assist.

The Buccaneers (2-0) carried a 2-0 lead into intermission thanks to first-half goals from Re and Koren.

With a 66th-minute goal, the Golden Eagles (0-1) briefly cut their deficit to 2-1; however, the Bucs responded strongly, scoring three unanswered goals in the match's final 17 minutes to seal the victory.

QUOTES FROM COACH SAYERS

• "The players were excellent today. The conditions were very hot, and Tennessee Tech didn't play on Friday, so we knew we had to be patient and accurate in possession so we could try to dictate the tempo of the game."

• "We played well from the start. Tennessee Tech were very organized and hard working, and squeezed the space between their midfield and back four well, so our attacking players had very little room to operate in."

• "Sarah [Zadrazil] received some close attention, but was still able to be effective, both in possession, and in creating room for others. In addition to being extremely talented individually, she is also such a team player. She sets a great example and displays terrific leadership."

• "Prior to the games, we have emphasized the importance of set pieces, and in this instance, our first three goals came from corners. Jasmin [Dutton]'s deliveries were consistently excellent, but most importantly was the desire to attack them, and the quicker reaction to the loose ball was great, allowing Simona [Koren], Cecilia [Re] and Hannah [Short] to score."

• "Molly [Collinson] did very well by creating her goal-scoring chance from what seemed to be a non-threatening situation for them, and Simona finished well from Sarah's perfect through ball to seal it."

• "It has been a great start to the season. The ladies' hard work during preseason is paying off. We got stronger as the game went on, and dominated the latter stages. We are very proud of the team."

LOOKING AHEAD

ETSU will begin a four-match homestand Thursday, Aug. 28 as the Bucs host Appalachian State at 7:00 p.m., inside Summers-Taylor Stadium.

Appalachian State returns nine starters from last season's squad that finished 8-7-4, including a 4-2-4 record in SoCon play.

The 2014 campaign marks the Mountaineers' first season in the Sun Belt Conference.

HOME-FIELD ADVANTAGE

During Head Coach Adam Sayers' tenure at ETSU, the Bucs have compiled an impressive 20-6-2 (.750) record inside Summers-Taylor Stadium.

Thursday's match versus Appalachian St., begins a stretch of four home games in a span of nine days for ETSU. In addition to Appalachian St., the Bucs will host Campbell (Aug. 31), South Carolina St. (Sept. 2), and Alabama A&M (Sept. 5), respectively.

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