CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- The Chattanooga soccer team heads home to host Eastern Kentucky for its final home match of August. Stick around after the match for postgame autographs with the team.
 
GAME DAY INFORMATION
Mocs vs. Eastern Kentucky
Date: Sunday, August 30
Time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
Site: Chattanooga | Finley Stadium
Links for live stats and video streaming on ESPN+ are available online at GoMocs.com
 
PROMOTIONS
Youth/Academy Day: Calling all young soccer fans! Wear your team's jersey and cheer on the Mocs!
Post-Match Autographs: Stay after the match to meet the team and collect autographs from your favorite Mocs!
 
CHATTANOOGA vs. EASTERN KENTUCKY
Eastern Kentucky leads the series 2-3-2 and holds a 1-2-1 record in the Scenic City. EKU won the last meeting in Chattanooga.
 
LAST TIME THEY MET
Maggie Shaw headed a goal in the second half to cut the Eastern Kentucky lead, but it wasn't enough for the Mocs who fell 2-1 to the Colonels at the UTC Sports Complex. Shaw picked up the ball on a free kick by Grace Klippenstein in the 53rd minute. The Mocs outshot EKU 16-13 with an 8-7 shots on goal advantage, but it would be the Colonels who scored a pair of first half goals for their first win of the year. Shaw took three shots, all on goal while Zoey Mize tipped three toward the net with one on goal. Mackenzie Smith, Shelby Hash and Birna Johannsdottir each had two shots for the Mocs. Freshman keeper Caroline Ekern tallied 65 minutes between the posts and pulled down four saves in her collegiate debut. Eastern Kentucky's Lauren Seedlock had seven saves in her 90 minutes in goal. The Colonels first goal came at the 12:15 mark of the match from Myla Sharpless for her second of the season and it wouldn't take long for Lucy Ream's game winner to find the mark in the 17th minute.
 
ABOUT CHATTANOOGA
The Mocs have two wins, both by shutout and a pair of ties to bookend their 2-1-2 overall record. UTC has outshot its opponents 83-30 with a 37-13 shots on goal advantage.  Chattanooga averages 2.40 goals per game with 12 through the first five while allowing five goals. Quinn Johnson leads the offense with three goals and two game winners. Emma Reeves is second in scoring with four points on two goals while Paige Thomas has three points on one goal and one assist. Lilly Kate Varino has four saves through two games a win, a shutout and a tie.
 
ABOUT EASTERN KENTUCKY
The Colonels are 3-1 overall  After starting the season with a 3-0 loss to Cincinnati, Eastern Kentucky bounced back with three straight shutouts. EKU has a 10-3 goals advantage, averaging 2.50 per game while outshooting foes 53-42. Avery May leads the Colonels with six points on two goals and two assists. Chiara Premoli has a team-best two game winning goals and Lauren Link has the third. Jordan LeVasseur and Ruby Morgan have each started two games in the net and combined for 12 saves. Morgan has two wins, both by shutout while LeVasseur has one, also by shutout.
 
NEWS AND NOTES
DUNAHAY SCORES FIRST GOAL
Savannah Dunahay was in the right place at the right time at Lipscomb (8/27) and scored her first career goal. She was in the box in front of the net when Emily Betterton sent a pass to the middle. She picked it up with her right foot and pushed it to the right and the keeper couldn't adjust.
 
THOMAS IN TOP 10 WITH 10 SHOTS
Paige Thomas fired off 10 shots at Lipscomb on August 27 in Nashville. That ties five others for seventh all-time for shots taken in a single game. She had three shots on goal in the contest and on that skimmed the top bar.
 
QUINN JOHNSON NETS SECOND WINNER
Sophomore Quinn Johnson netted her team-leading third goal of the season and her second game winner in the Mocs 3-0 victory against Austin Peay. Johnson picked up a through ball from Carmya Mastrangelo to Paige Thomas up the middle of the field and forward to Johnson for the goal.
 
VARINO GETS SHUTOUT IN DEBUT
Lilly Kate Varino made her first start in net for the Mocs and earned a shutout against Austin Peay on August 23.
 
RULING REVERSED
UPDATE 8/21: Class members who were allowed to compete because of the Wisne injunction are no longer eligible to compete.Stay tuned for further updates.
 
MOCS TALLY FIVE GOALS AT WINTHROP
The Mocs picked up five goals against Winthrop, tied for eighth-most in a single game for UTC. Four goals were scored by four different players while the fifth was an OWN goal.
 
EKERN PROGRAM MARKS GROW
Keeper Caroline Ekern was awarded a fifth year due to a judicial ruling and is taking full advantage by growing her numbers in the Mocs record book. Ekern leads UTC in wins and shutouts and added one to each column in the Mocs 5-0 win over Winthrop. She has 34 wins and 22 clean sheets.
 
JOHNSON PICKS UP GAME WINNER
Quinn Johnson scored the Mocs first goal at Winthrop in the 16th minute. That turned out to be the game winner. It is the third game winning goal of her career.
 
JOHNSON SCORES IN OPENING DRAW
Quinn Johnson scored the Mocs first goal of the season on a free kick from 30 yards out in the 77th minute against UT Martin. However, the Skyhawks converted on a PK in the final minute to tie the match.
 
CAROLINE EKERN EARNS EXTRA YEAR
As of July 31 2026, a federal court has granted a class-wide preliminary injunction requiring the NCAA to allow 2021-22 high school graduates (Class of 2022) a fifth year of eligibility for the 2026-27 season if they exhausted their four seasons of eligibility this past spring. The NCAA is appealing this ruling.
 
Due to this ruling, keeper Caroline Ekern was granted a fifth year of eligibility and rejoined her teammates on the pitch. She is the Mocs winningest keeper and the all-time leader for UTC in clean sheets.
 
JOHNSON NAMED TO PRESEASON TEAM
Sophomore Quinn Johnson was named to the Southern Conference Coaches Preseason All-Conference Team. She was the 2025 SoCon Freshman of the Year and was third on the team in scoring. She returns as the Mocs top scorer.
 
MOCS PICKED TO FINISH FIFTH
The Mocs were picked to finish fifth in the SoCon preseason coaches poll by a one-point margin behind Western Carolina and one point ahead of Mercer. UTC placed fourth in 2025.
 
ZOEY MIZE JOINS STAFF AS ASSISTANT
Zoey Mize, a 2026 graduate of UTC, joins the Mocs coaching staff as an assistant coach. She will work with head coach Gavin McKinney and assistant coach Josie Rix with the field players and day-to-day development of the squad. Mize is the Mocs all-time leader for assists as a four-year starter.
 
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