The Eastern women’s soccer team earned its first conference point of the season Sunday, after tying Tennessee Tech in double overtime on senior day.

Eastern’s four seniors, Emma Scaro, Madi Fisher, Ali Carlson and Carrie Caplin, were honored before the match.

Scaro, a redshirt senior midfielder and forward, said there may have been some extra motivation to play well Sunday because it was senior day.

“They like decorated the locker room and stuff,” Scaro said. “It kind of makes you think back to why you started playing soccer in the first place.”

Fellow senior Fisher, a forward, shared the sentiment that Scaro had.

“It’s really nostalgic,” Fisher said. “I didn’t think I would get so emotional but I did. Really the four years just flies by. It’s crazy I feel like I was just a freshman.”

Before the match Sunday, the Panthers lost on Friday to Jacksonville State 1-0, extending the Panthers’ losing streak and the streak without a conference point.

But with the tie, Eastern has one conference point, and is still in last place in the OVC.

Tennessee Tech is now fifth in the OVC.

Eastern head coach Kiki Lara said getting the first conference point was “very big” for the team.

“It still puts you in the hunt to kind of get in that conference tournament berth, and it’s also big because they earned it and it’s nice to get things that you earn,” Lara said.

Neither team had more control of the game over the other, and both teams had multiple chances to score.

Two minutes and 45 seconds into the second half, freshman defender Haley Tausend kicked the ball over the Tennessee Tech defense, and sophomore forward Sarah DeWolf got the ball after beating a defender.

She took a few dribbles and shot the ball, which was saved by the diving Golden Eagle goalkeeper Kari Naerdemann.

The Golden Eagles had their fair share of shots on Eastern’s goalie Sara Teteak, but she had a great game in goal, making eight saves, a few of them on some close, tough shots.

The closest of those Tennessee Tech chances came in the second overtime in the 106th minute, when Golden Eagle Katie Shipley got past the Eastern defense and hit a shot from a few yards out, but Teteak deflected the shot away.

Teteak has given up goals in the last two Eastern matches after making mistakes, but she got her third shutout of the season Sunday.

“She was very good and she was good on Friday as well, she was unfortunate on Friday to make a bad mistake but she played very well today, very focused,” Lara said.

All four seniors, with the exception of the injured Caplin, played in the match Sunday.

Lara, Scaro and Fisher all said it was an emotional day, and all three said it was great to get the first conference point especially, Fisher and Scaro said, after the injuries and tough road the team has gone through.

Friday, the Panthers lost to Jacksonville State 1-0 after Teteak misplayed the ball in the 77th minute.

Eastern is now 5-9-2 overall, with an 0-6-1 conference record.

Dillan Schorfheide can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected]