By Brandon Burke, UT Martin Sports Information
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – Two days removed from a splendid showing away from home that included a pair of successful strikes and the game-clinching goal during the final stages against Indiana State, senior forward Jill Hildreth was rewarded by the Ohio Valley Conference on Tuesday afternoon with a selection as the OVC Offensive Player of the Week, marking the second straight occasion in which a University of Tennessee at Martin soccer star has represented the league’s weekly best-of beneficiaries.
Achieving this description for the first time in her five-year term with the Skyhawks’ attacking core, Hildreth lands the OVC Offensive Player of the Week award off the heels of a two-goal performance against the Sycamores at the tail end of the weekend on only three shots taken. Cramming the ball into the back of the net in the 19th and 71st minutes to propel UTM past ISU for their second win of the fall, Hildreth’s one-woman wrecking crew display on Sunday has gifted head coach Phil McNamara’s unit an injection of momentum ahead of a three-game home stand beginning on Thursday versus North Alabama.
Extending her career total to 15 scores in Terre Haute 48 hours ago, Hildreth was required to deal the Sycamores a second dose of attack once Indiana State tied things up at one apiece early in the 2nd period. It was not an issue for the Germantown, Tenn. native to squeeze another goal past the ISU defense with 19 minutes remaining in regulation, allowing the UT Martin back line to take care of the rest and improve to 2-1-1 overall.
Only three days after a close 1-0 defeat at the hands of Indiana in Bloomington – a match in which the Skyhawks held the Hoosiers scoreless over the final 52 minutes of action – the familiar offensive rhythm returned for UTM and Hildreth against the Sycamores, giving the team four goals in all thus far on the season. As Makayla Robinson and Jill’s twin sister Jaden Hildreth represent the other two, that makes the reigning OVC Offensive Player of the Week the team-leader with exactly half of the non-conference schedule in the books.
Logging 158 minutes in Indiana with a lengthy home stay impending, Hildreth’s 67% conversion rate against ISU has aided the Skyhawks to a 33-28 shot advantage over their four opponents. Collecting seven goals altogether since the abbreviated spring campaign, the senior joins Erica Myers in the team’s accomplishment of back-to-back Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Week recognition, with UTM’s graduate keeper receiving a similar distinction seven days ago.
North Alabama, Wright State, and Western Carolina will all travel to Martin over a period of ten days, with first touch against the Lions on September 2nd slated for 7:00 p.m. at Skyhawk Field. The contest will represent the second home meeting of the regular season for UT Martin after besting Southern Illinois in the opener by a 2-0 final, while also recording the first outing between the two schools since UTM’s second year as a program in 1999.
Graphic Courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information