MURFREESBORO, Tenn. \u2013 The Middle Tennessee women’s soccer team will aim to rebound from Thursday night’s loss against Liberty when it hosts Sam Houston in its third Conference USA match of the season on Sunday at 1 p.m.
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\nThe Blue Raiders (8-3-2, 1-1-0 CUSA) will meet the Bearkats (4-4-3, 0-2-0 CUSA) in match day three of CUSA play, as the Blue and White look to maximize their home conference points tally.
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\nQuick Kicks<\/p>\n
\u00a0 Scouting the Bearkats The Bearkats posted an 8-6-3 (5-2-1) CUSA record in 2025, finishing third in the conference standings.<\/p>\n In its season opener, Sam Houston achieved a 1-1 draw against its most notable opponent of the season, Big 12 side Oklahoma State.<\/p>\n Midfielder Ellie Morgan featured on the preseason all-conference team and has scored two goals and one assist in 2026.<\/p>\n Sam Houston was picked to finish seventh in the conference standings this season.<\/p>\n The Bearkats are led by fifth-year head coach Kendall Ayers, who led her team to its highest finish in three seasons competing in CUSA in 2025.\u00a0<\/p>\n Follow the Blue Raiders \u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tThe Blue and White finished 7-2-2 in non-conference play, posting their highest win percentage (.727) since 2009 (.812) in the first period of the season.\u00a0
\n\tMiddle Tennessee Soccer began the season with a 4-0-2 record, its best start in program history.
\n\tHead Coach Aston Rhoden<\/a> improved both his and Middle Tennessee’s record in CUSA openers to 8-6 with a 2-0 defeat of Jax State last Sunday Sunday.
\n\tTeam co-captain Hannah Murphy<\/a> scored her fourth goal of the season in the victory, which marked a new single-season career-best tally.
\n\tBoth of the afternoon’s goals were scored in the span of 2:14, which marks the fastest MTSU has scored multiple goals since Oct. 19, 2025, when Murphy and Emma Pettersen<\/a> both netted in 37 seconds during a 4-0 thrashing of UTEP.\u00a0
\n\tMiddle Tennessee’s eighth shutout of the season put it only one shy of last year’s tally and one behind the national leader, Auburn.\u00a0
\n\tFreshman forward Ania Denham<\/a> has taken the nation by storm in her first collegiate season, scoring a team and conference-leading eight goals and logging two assists for a total of 18 points through 13 games.
\n\tFive of the Welshwoman’s goals have been game winners, which is a tally that she only trails Ohio State’s Amanda Schlueter in.
\n\tIn total goals, she is tied for third among true freshmen nationwide.
\n\tDenham’s goal against Liberty marked her sixth consecutive match with a goal contribution, becoming the first MTSU player to achieve the feat since Hannah Tillett in the 2018 season, when she scored seven goals and provided two assists in a span of six straight contests between Aug. 31 and Sept. 30.\u00a0
\n\tMegan Carroll’s<\/a> two shots on target tied her single-game career high, which she has now done three times in 2026.
\n\tDemi Gronauer’s<\/a> eight saves mark the most in a match by an MTSU goalkeeper since the Las Vegas, Nev., native achieved her career high with 10 saves on Aug. 22, 2024.
\n\tMiddle Tennessee was picked to finish sixth out of 10 teams in the 2026 Conference USA Coaches Preseason Poll, after a fourth-place finish a year prior.
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\nSeries History
\nMiddle Tennessee is searching for its first win against Sam Houston on Sunday to improve upon its 0-3-1 record against the Bearkats. The last contest between the sides resulted in a 1-0 victory in Huntsville for the Lone Star State side.<\/p>\n
\nMiddle Tennessee will play its second home conference match in four days when it welcomes Sam Houston (4-4-3, 0-2-0 CUSA).<\/p>\n
\nStay up to date with MTSU Soccer on Instagram (@mt_wsoccer<\/a>), X (@MT_Soccer<\/a>), and Facebook (Middle Tennessee Soccer<\/a>).\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n