KSU’s #00 Charlee Bernal defending the goal. August 21st, 2025. Photo Credit: Tye Brown
Soccer concluded its season on Saturday night at Walens Family Field at Fifth Third Stadium, falling to Middle Tennessee 1-0.
The Owls came into the match following their first conference win against Jacksonville State the week prior and were looking to end a season full of struggle on a positive note.
Both teams came out with an aggressive approach. Anabel Orozco nearly gave the Owls an early lead in the seventh minute, and the Blue Raiders came close to a goal of their own only a minute later.
A foul in the box by MTSU rewarded KSU’s Rebecca Womer with a penalty kick try in the 17th minute, but Blue Raiders goalkeeper Ella Sellers made an incredible diving save and kept the score even at 0-0.
MTSU came inches away from taking the lead in the 40th minute, but the shot ricocheted hard off the right post. The match went to the locker room still at a 0-0 draw.
The first half saw only three combined shots on goal, two of them by the Owls. The Blue Raiders could only muster one shot on goal despite 11 total shots in the half.
The sides traded near goals once again in the opening minutes of the second half, but still neither could find their way through the net.
In the 60th minute, Orozco and MTSU’s Sadie Sterbenz were both issued red cards for unsporting after a scuffle between the two, generated by a hard foul. A yellow card was also issued toEmma Brown, another Blue Raider, late in the first half.
The Blue Raiders got on the board in the 71st minute on a goal by Emma Pettersen, her third of the year, assisted by Taijah Fraser, giving MTSU a 1-0 lead late in the match.
The Owls failed to answer with a goal of their own as the Blue Raiders swarmed them on defense and controlled possession in the final minutes, and the match ended at a 1-0 Blue Raiders victory.
Out of the Owls’ six shots, four of them were on goal. Despite this, they were unable to find the back of the net, which is a similar story to many of their contests this season.
KSU ended its season with an overall record of 2-10-4 and a conference record of 1-5-1. The team’s two wins both came at home against Alabama State and Jacksonville State.
