Lady Vols Soccer ⚽️ Tennessee @ Virginia Tech 11/15 Friday 7PM Blacksburg VA ⚽️ NCAA TOURNAMENT First Round

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MATCH CENTRAL: Tennessee vs. Georgia​


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Tennessee is back in action at Regal Stadium, hosting Georgia in a 7 p.m. ET matchup on Friday.

In their last outing, the Lady Vols (6-3-4, 1-2-3 SEC) couldn't overcome a scrappy LSU team, suffering a 1-0 loss in LSU Soccer Stadium on Sunday. Freshman Kate Runyon led Tennessee on offense with four shots on goal on the day. Redshirt-freshman Abby Reisz made the start in goal, making one save, and redshirt-sophomore Ally Zazzara took over in the second half, earning four saves on the day.

Ava Galligan found the net for LSU (8-5-1, 3-3-0 SEC), and Mollee Swift played the full game in the net, recording seven saves.

Admission is free for all preseason and regular-season soccer matches. For fans planning to attend, note that Tennessee's clear bag policy will be in effect.

GAME PROMOTIONS:

  • 2023 Soccer Scarf Voucher for first 500 fans (claim at halftime)
  • Plastic Pint Glasses for first 500 fans
  • Food trucks: Poynor's Pommes Frites and Irvey's Ice Cream
  • Pregame: Mental Health Awareness Video
WHEN WE MET LAST SEASON: The Lady Vols fell 2-0 to the Bulldogs in the second round of the SEC Tournament on Nov. 1 last year. Dani Murguia and Tori Penn were the goal-scorers for UGA. Earlier that season, Tennessee took a 2-0 victory in Athens on Oct. 9. Senior Claudia Dipasupil and redshirt-junior Jaida Thomas found the net for UT (9-3-1, 5-1 SEC), with fifth-year senior Mackenzie George and sophomore Taylor Huff earning assists. In goal, senior Lindsey Romig made three saves on the day.

VS THE BULLDOGS: Tennessee's owns an all-time record of 19-10-1 against UGA. When playing in Regal Stadium, the Lady Vols are 12-1-0 with their sole loss coming in 2008.

SCOUTING GEORGIA: UGA was picked to finish fouth in the SEC as voted on by the league's coaches. Georgia returned nine starters from the 2022 squad that went 13-6-3 and added 14 newcomers in the form of nine freshmen and five transfers. Redshirt-senior Nicole Vernis leads the team in with four goals and five assists.

SECOND HALF TEAM: The Lady Vols have netted five goals over the last four contests, all of which have come in the second half. On the season, 16 of Tennessee's 26 goals have been scored in the second half, with nine of those coming in the final 20 minutes of the match.

THOMAS IN THE RECORD BOOK: Before suffering a season-ending injury, redshirt-senior Jaida Thomas moved her career total to 39 goals to trail UT's leading career scorer, Kylie Rossi, by just four goals. Thomas amassed her 39 goals in just 59 games for a goals-per-game average of .66 to rank third all-time at Tennessee behind only Bunny Shaw (0.77) and Allison Campbell (0.70).

IN THEIR OFFENSIVE THIRD: On the season, UT has taken almost twice as many shots as it has allowed, outshooting opponents 227-115, and taking 110 corner kicks while limiting the opposition to just 36. Tennessee currently ranks third in Division I in corner kicks per game (8.38) and 19th in shots per game (17.62).

EVERYONE IS DANGEROUS: UT's 26 goals thus far have been scored by 11 different players. Freshmen Sarah Greiner, Kate Runyon (3) and Keaton Mitchell, sophomore Kameron Simmonds (6), juniors Jordan Fusco (3) and Nolyn Bartholomew, redshirt-seniors Maria Nelson (2) and Jaida Thomas, senior Lawson Renie and graduates Sizzy Lawton (4) and Nayeli Diaz have all found the back of the net for the Big Orange. Own goals by ETSU and MSU rounds out the total.

FRESHMEN CONTRIBUTING: All four of UT's active freshmen have recorded at least one goal or assist on the season. Forward Kate Runyon has made eight starts, logging three goals and an assist. Fellow rookies Keaton Mitchell and Sarah Greiner have both tallied goals, and Linette Hofmann has started 11 contests, recording an assist in the season opener against Cal.

NEW FACES: Tennessee added 10 newcomers in its 2023 signing class. All 10 are versatile field players with six enrolling as freshmen and four arriving as transfers with multiple years of collegiate experience.

BACK AGAIN: The Lady Vols return five starters and 20 letterwinners from the 2022 team that clinched an SEC East Division title for the third straight season.

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Redshirt senior Jaida Thomas, senior Lawson Renie, juniors Sheridan Michel and Jordan Fusco, and sophomore Kameron Simmonds were all named to the SEC Preseason Watch List.

UP NEXT: Tennessee will return to the road, traveling to Missouri for a 7 p.m. ET kick time on Thursday.
 
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From the official Bulldogs page


Georgia Travels to Tennessee for Critical SEC Match​


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RV Georgia (6-3-4, 2-2-2 SEC) at Tennessee (6-3-4, 1-2-3 SEC)
Date: Friday, Oct. 13
Time: 7 p.m. EDT
Location: Knoxville, Tenn.
Site: Regal Soccer Stadium (3,000)

MEDIA INFORMATION
Stream: SEC Network+
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
X:@UGASoccer
Instagram:@UGASoccer

Social Media: For complete information on Georgia soccer, follow the team on its social media channels via @UGASoccer on X, Facebook, and Instagram.

INSIDE THE SERIES
Overall: Tennessee leads 19-10-1
In Athens: Georgia leads 8-5-1
In Knoxville: Tennessee leads 12-1-0
Neutral: Tennessee leads 2-1-0
Last Meeting: Georgia – W, 2-0 (Nov. 1, 2022 – Pensacola, Fla.)
Current Streak: W1
GF / GA: 32 / 44

QUICK KICKS
Rocky Top Tussle
SEC East leader Georgia opens the home stretch of the 2023-24 regular season with a road match against Tennessee Friday evening in Knoxville. Over the next three matches, the Bulldogs will face the next three teams in the SEC East standings as seedings are settled for the upcoming SEC Tournament in Pensacola, Florida. Friday marks the 31st all-time meeting between Georgia and Tennessee, the first since the Bulldogs upset the Lady Vols, 2-0, in the SEC quarterfinals. The series has historically favored the home team, with Georgia only winning once in Knoxville: a 2-0 win on Oct. 31, 2008.

Tennessee enters Friday's match looking for its first win since Sept. 21 -- last week, the Lady Vols tied Kentucky and lost to LSU. Both Georgia and Tennessee have faced tough competition throughout the season, with Tennessee ranking first nationally in strenghth of schedule and Georgia ranking 11th overall.

Freshman Phenoms
Three members of the Georgia freshmen class were recognized by Top Drawer Soccer on its 2023 midseason top-100 list. Defender Kiera Staude was ranked No. 10 overall, the highest of any SEC first-year player. Staude has started all 13 matches on the backline, helping the Bulldogs post five shutouts. Midfielder Christian Brathwaite slotted at No. 70, while fellow midfielder Devon Winters snuck in at No. 94.

Tied Up with Gators
Georgia is looking to return to the win column after losing to Arkansas and tying Florida last week. On Sunday against the Gators, Georgia only allowed two Florida shots, both of which were saved by goalkeeper Jordan Brown in the first 11 minutes of play. The Bulldogs had a couple of opportunities to score, namely a saved header from midfielder Ellie Gilbert and a shot by midfielder Nicole Vernis that clipped the cross bar. The Gators' defense also stifled the Bulldog attack, forcing a season-high nine offsides calls.

Dawg Bites
  • Georgia remained unranked in this week's United Soccer Coaches and Top Drawer Soccer polls, but did still receive one vote in the coaches' rankings. In the NCAA RPI rankings, Georgia moved down to 25th and ranks fifth among SEC schools. Eight past and future 2023 opponents currently rank in the top 40.
  • Georgia held Florida to zero corner kicks in Sunday's match, the first time the Bulldogs did not allow a corner kick against an SEC foe since Arkansas on Sept. 25, 2015.
  • Georgia's loss at Arkansas marked its first defeat against an SEC opponent away from Athens since a 3-1 loss at Tennessee on Oct. 24, 2021. The Bulldogs had earned a result in 10 straight matches (5-0-5), including regular season road and SEC Tournament neutral fixtures over three seasons.
  • Georgia's one shot on frame against Arkansas marked the fewest for the Bulldogs since a one-shot performance against No. 5 Alabama on Sept. 29, 2022. Coincidentally, Georgia also fell, 2-1, in that match with its lone score coming off an own goal.
  • During the Arkansas match, Georgia racked up an uncharacteristic 21 fouls, the program's most in a match since 27 against Auburn on Oct. 24, 2004.
  • Junior defender Jessie Dunn remains the iron woman among Georgia field players, tallying 90 minutes in 11 matches this season. Dunn has played a full 90 in 19 of her last 22 matches.
  • Through 13 matches, 11 different Bulldogs have scored a goal. Last year, the team tied a program record with 16 different scorers.
  • Goalkeeper Jordan Brown has now entered the program's top 10 in saves, shutouts, starts, and minutes, while currently holding the lowest goals against average in program history (0.84).
  • Graduate midfielder Mallie McKenzie is now ranked fifth in program history with 20 assists. She is also tied for fourth all-time in appearances with 88 matches, putting her on pace to break Abby Boyan's program record of 93
 
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Tonight’s game is a must win.


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Tennessee soccer looks to end winless streak against Georgia​


Currently in a four-game winless streak, Tennessee soccer will look to get back to winning on Friday against Georgia in Regal Soccer Stadium.

The Lady Vols (6-3-4, 1-2-3 SEC) lost to LSU 1-0 on Sunday, which was their first road conference loss since the 2021 season. The Bulldogs (6-3-4, 2-2-2) drew with Florida on Sunday and currently lead the SEC East with seven points in divisional games.


After being sent off against Kentucky on Thursday, Jordan Fusco was suspended for Sunday’s 1-0 loss against LSU. Head coach Joe Kirt believes that Fusco’s absence was not the reason the Lady Vols lost.

“We certainly missed Jordan and what she brings in our midfield, but we created enough chances to get a result in that game for sure,” Kirt said. “I’m disappointed that we didn’t take them.”

Fusco will need to make an impact against Georgia as the Bulldogs allow less than one goal per game on average. Fusco has a team-leading 49 shots but only three goals in the 2023 season.

Forwards Kameron Simmonds and Kate Runyon are also important to Tennessee’s success. Simmonds has scored six times this season, but none came in the conference portion of the schedule.

Runyon has been held off the scoresheet since her goal against South Carolina over two weeks ago.

Although Fusco was not with the team, Lawson Renie returned from injury on Sunday. She played the full 90 minutes on the back line and was integral to holding LSU to only one goal. Against Georgia on Friday, she will continue to make an impact.



“Having your captain back in the middle of the field and helping us was great,” Kirt said. “She’s still getting her feet underneath her after not playing for a couple of weeks. She did well.”

LSU only recorded one shot in the first half but managed to shoot 10 times in the second half. The Tennessee defense will need to maintain a high level of play for the entirety of the game against Georgia.

“Overall, our organization and communication were good,” Kirt said. “I think there are moments we need to be a little bit better.”

Although Georgia’s leading scorer Nicole Vernis only has four goals, 11 different players have scored this season for the Bulldogs. Everyone in Georgia’s lineup is a threat to score.

“They’re going to be a good team,” Kirt said. “They have talented players. They’re a good team. It’s difficult for us in a lot of ways.”

Jordan Brown will be a challenge for Tennessee as well. In goal, she has a 0.750 save percentage and a goals-against average of 0.98.

On Tennessee’s side, Abby Reisz has been playing the first half for Tennessee, while Ally Zazzara has been entering for the second. Although they changed this order a few times early in the season, Kirt believes that his current plan makes sense for the Lady Vols.

“That’s the routine we’ve been in,” Kirt said. “It’s been working. We’ve been comfortable with it. It’s not at all that one is better than the other. They’ve both been effective in a lot of ways.”
 
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Well, two goals (one from us and one from georgia) in two minutes is certainly a start to the game. Hope we settle a bit.
 
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