⚽️ Lady Vols Soccer

#5,535
#5,535
brittannica said:
Frustrating. Hard to see or say where the team should go from here given all the injuries, close results, and talent.
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Injuries have had nothing to do with our crappy defense. A must win game, we score 3 goals--and then we give up 4 goals--squandering a lead in the 2nd half? Are you kidding? And two of the a&m goals were just stupid---a ridiculously dumb play by our keeper, and then on the aggie equalizer, we have three players around the ball and yet allow an opponent to kick it in? Just totally lame. .Renie is soft--that is the 3rd goal she's been at least partly if not mainly responsible for this season by not being physical. Just lame. I knew we wouldn't see out the game with a one-goal lead and 30/35 minutes to play. We're done this season.

Kirt needs to find some better defenders---a good, athletic CB and a good, physical defensive mid--but don't know who that would be on this squad. Devastating loss today, Team as a lot of issues, starting with defense. Good teams can shut out opponents; we give up goals. We have found ways to screw up so many matches this season.
 
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#5,539
#5,539
So one of our forwards finally gets an assist in the penultimate game of he season. 1 point from Nelson and Simmonds in 9 SEC games.

Kirt takes out Agresti late and inserts Washington---and A&M scores two goals. Clueless.
 
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#5,540
#5,540
turbovol said:
So one of our forwards finally gets an assist in the penultimate game of he season. 1 point from Nelson and Simmonds in 9 SEC games.

Kirt takes out Agresti late and inserts Washington---and A&M scores two goals. Clueless.
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Sure there is going to be a mass exodus at the end of the season....Kirk's jib will get tougher..
 
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#5,543
#5,543
MAD said:
I don’t think so, the players love him.
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The players may love him, but he makes bad decisions, the program has regressed, and White is not going to love him come contract renewal time. We could be a consistent top program with the right coach--a coach will real chops and smarts. That's not what we have.
 
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#5,545
#5,545

Lady Vols Fall To Texas A&M, 4-3​


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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Junior Jordan Fusco turned in a hat trick on Sunday, but it wasn't enough to overcome the Aggies as UT fell in Regal Stadium, 4-3.

Sophomore Macaira Midgley, redshirt-sophomore Jenna Stayart and redshirt-senior Maria Nelson earned assists for Tennessee (7-5-4, 2-4-3 SEC). Redshirt-freshman Abby Reisz made the start in goal, collecting five saves. Redshirt-sophomore Ally Zazzara took over in the second half and made two saves.

Texas A&M (8-6-3, 4-3-2 SEC) was led by Jazmine Wilkinson who recorded three goals. Sydney Becerra also found the net for the Aggies. In goal, Kenna Caldwell made four saves.

Tennessee went up early when Midgley found Fusco breaking behind the defense in the fifth minute. Fusco took a touch into the box and buried the shot far post.

Texas A&M leveled the score four minutes later when Wilkinson poked a ball away from Reisz and bounced a shot from the far side of the box off the goalpost and into the net.

Becerra gave the Aggies a lead in the 12th minute, beating a defender at the top of the box and sending a blast to the far-side net.

In the 31st minute, Mia Pante broke into the UT box and blasted a shot on frame, but Reisz came up with the diving save.

Fusco tried to tie it up in the final 30 seconds of the half, unleashing a blast from 20 yards out, but the attempt was blocked by an Aggie defender, and the 2-1 score held through the break.

The Lady Vols came out hot in the second half, gaining possession and driving to the Aggie baseline where Nelson sent a cross into the box that Fusco put into the net with a diving shot just 13 seconds into the half.

Fusco struck again two and a half minutes later off an entry pass from Stayart, receiving the ball around the penalty mark and placing it low past the keeper.

Makhiya McDonald got a shot off from close range in the 59th minute, but Zazzara knocked it wide to maintain the Lady Vol advantage.

Wilkinson tied the game up at three in the 77th minute, toe-poking a ball that bounced around in the box into the net from 10 yards out.

She struck again 50 seconds later for the final goal of the match, sending a header near post off a cross from Sam Smith.

UP NEXT: The Lady Vols will travel to Vanderbilt for an in-state rivalry on Thursday. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT.

OFFENSIVE EFFICIENCY: The Lady Vols scored three goals on 13 shots and put a total of seven shots on frame against TAMU. Over the last two contests, Tennessee has scored six goals on 25 shots with 16 shots on goal for a shot percentage of .240 and a shot-on-goal percentage of .640, decisively above season averages of .126 and .460, respectively.

FUSCO MAKING MOVES: With three goals against Texas A&M, Jordan Fusco rocketed to the top of the team statistics, taking the lead in total points with 16 and tying with Kameron Simmonds and Sizzy Lawton for team leader in goals with six.
 
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#5,546
#5,546
I'm always confused when an academic senior gets a sendoff but has one more year of eligibility. Correct me if wrong, but Thomas
got a senior sendoff today, didn't she? I knew she was a senior but only now see that she's a redshirt senior. I've thought that this year
will count as a medical redshirt for her--meaning she could play next year. Am I wrong? The issue may be that medical redshirts have to be applied for by the college, and then granted by the NCAA after reviews. I doubt we've applied yet, which may explain why she got a senior sendoff. If anyone knows more, let us know.

I think Hennessey got a senior sendoff today as well. She is a redshirt junior, which means she does have another year of eligibility but apparently is not going to take it.
 
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#5,547
#5,547
turbovol said:
I'm always confused when an academic senior gets a sendoff but has one more year of eligibility. Correct me if wrong, but Thomas
got a senior sendoff today, didn't she? I knew she was a senior but only now see that she's a redshirt senior. I've thought that this year
will count as a medical redshirt for her--meaning she could play next year. Am I wrong? The issue may be that medical redshirts have to be applied for by the college, and then granted by the NCAA after reviews. I doubt we've applied yet, which may explain why she got a senior sendoff. If anyone knows more, let us know.

I think Hennessey got a senior sendoff today as well. She is a redshirt junior, which means she does have another year of eligibility but apparently is not going to take it.
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They actually do it the same way in basketball unless you know definitively they are coming back. Jaida is still undecided after all she have her master's degree In December already.
 
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#5,549
#5,549

Jordan Fusco’s hat trick not enough as Tennessee soccer falls in shootout with Texas A&M​


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Tennessee soccer fell 4-3 in dramatic fashion as Jordan Fusco’s hat trick was negated by four goals from Texas A&M on Sunday.

The Lady Vols (7-5-4, 2-4-3 SEC) needed a positive result against the Aggies (8-6-3, 4-3-2) with the SEC tournament looming.

“That one hurts,” head coach Joe Kirt said. “Coming out and getting the game back and going up and then giving it back to them.”

Tennessee's starting 11 was almost entirely unchanged from their previous match but returned a familiar face. Linette Hoffman returned after missing Thursday’s clash with Missouri, but forward Kate Runyon remained absent as she missed her second straight game due to injury.

The first half started in near-perfect fashion for the Lady Vols as Jordan Fusco opened the scoring in the fifth minute. Some counterpressing in midfield courtesy of Mac Midgley resulted in a counter opportunity for Tennessee.

Midgley progressed with the ball toward the edge of the box and found Fusco with an inch perfect pass. A nice touch and clinical finish from Fusco put the Lady Vols ahead early.

Tennessee has been prone to electric starts in their last three games, beginning with a 1-0 first half lead in each game.

However, protecting the lead has proven more difficult, and Sunday was no different. Tennessee immediately surrendered its lead as Jazmine Wilkinson equalized just four minutes later.

The goal occurred after a pass back to Lady Vols goalkeeper Abby Reisz was seized by Wilkinson as Reisz went to ground to collect. Wilkinson finished from an awkward angle for her seventh goal of the season, tying things at 1-1.

The Aggies kept up their pressure and were rewarded with another goal in the 14th minute from Sydney Becerra, who beat Reisz.

A nice piece of skill from Becerra on the edge of the box was enough to beat Midgley and leave the Tennessee defense helpless as she took aim. Her strike from outside the box rattled the crossbar before rippling the back of the net.

Tennessee once again surrendered an early lead, which is certainly a point of frustration for coaches and players alike.

“Obviously we scored early,” Fusco said. “Something we also need to work on, which is after we go up, being real tough in the back.”

Trailing 2-1, the Lady Vols were uncharacteristically lackadaisical on offense in the first 45, mustering just 4 first half shots, which is tied for their lowest amount in a half this year.



However, Tennessee’s offensive woes were short lasting as a second-half double completed Fusco’s hat trick.

The Lady Vols came storming out of the gates and instantly equalized the game at 2-2 in the 46th minute. Beautiful wing play from Maria Nelson resulted in a cross to the feet of Fusco who finished with aplomb.

With momentum on its side, Tennessee played aggressively and pushed for the go-ahead goal.

The Lady Vols found their goal just minutes later with Fusco’s third goal in the 49th minute. Jenna Stayart’s pass to the oncoming Fusco was tidy and made for an easy finish as Fusco scored in near-identical fashion to her second goal of the afternoon.

With Tennessee leading, the pressure was on the Aggies to take the game to the Lady Vols.

Texas A&M almost immediately found their equalizer as another effort from outside the box rattled the Tennessee cross bar. The Aggies continued to press for their equalizer but were denied twice in superb fashion.

First, a diving save from senior goalkeeper Ally Zazzara denied what would have been another Texas A&M goal. Then, a last-second tackle from Kennedy Price temporarily kept the Aggies out as pressure mounted.

After a lengthy battle, the Tennessee resistance finally fell courtesy of a bizarre goal scored by Aggies winger Wilkinson in the 77th minute. The Lady Vols failed to clear and Wilkinson capitalized, squeezing her second goal of the afternoon past Zazzara.

Now tied at 3-3, the SEC matchup was on a knife's edge.

It was Wilkinson that ultimately decided the match with her third goal of the afternoon coming just one minute after her second goal. A cross from the left found Wilkinson’s head and ended up in the back of the net as the Aggies wheeled away in celebration.

The goal was a hammerblow to the Lady Vols’ SEC tournament hopes. Tennessee will need to rely on favorable results on the final match day of the regular season.

The Lady Vols will attempt to cement their spot in the SEC tournament as they travel to Nashville on Thursday to take on Vanderbilt.

“It’s Vanderbilt, it's obviously our in-state rival,” Kirt said. “We’ve got everything to play for.”
 
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#5,550
#5,550

Notebook: Tennessee soccer gives up lead, loses to Texas A&M​


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Tennessee soccer held the advantage until the 77th minute but fell to Texas A&M 4-3.

The Lady Vols (7-5-4, 2-4-3 SEC) have now lost three of their last four games and sit on the outside of a conference tournament berth. The Aggies (8-6-3, 4-3-2) picked up their first win in three games.

Jordan Fusco completed a hat trick with a pair of goals in the opening minutes of the second half, allowing Tennessee to have a chance of beating a strong Texas A&M team.

“She was tremendous today,” Kirt said. “We’ve been waiting a long time for her to finally get the final product in terms of goals. She’s been such a huge part of what we do going forward.”

The loss puts a lot of pressure on the Lady Vols going into Thursday’s game against Vanderbilt. Without a result, Tennessee will likely miss the SEC tournament.

Here are three takeaways from the loss.

Quick starts in both halves

It took just five minutes for Fusco to find the opening goal of the game. In the second half, Fusco had two more goals in just three minutes of play.

In both halves, it was important for Tennessee to get out to a fast start.

“That was something we had been talking about the last two weeks, especially with Kate being out and Kam a little hurt,” Fusco said. “Going into the second half, I really needed to try to get forward.”

The first five minutes of the second half were especially critical as the Lady Vols turned a deficit into a lead.

“Our team has been phenomenal in terms of their response when their backs are against the wall, and it was no different today,” Kirt said.



Even though Tennessee got off to a quick start in both halves, Texas A&M showed its quality over the course of the game.

Goalkeeping has moments of weakness

Although Abby Reisz and Ally Zazzara combined to make seven saves, the pair allowed four goals, which was the most allowed by Tennessee this season.

Jazmine Wilkinson scored three of Texas A&M’s four goals. Her first came off a mistake by Reisz, who tried to take control of the ball outside of her box. Just four minutes after Fusco opened the game’s scoring, Wilkinson had the equalizer.

Regardless of mitigating factors, the Lady Vols have to limit opponents to fewer goals in order to get results.

“We’ve given up too many goals in the last three games, and today was no different,” Kirt said. “We’ve got to look at it a bit more in terms of video and see what we can do better. We need to be better collectively as a team in terms of giving up goals.”

Tennessee’s inconsistencies show

Even though Tennessee showed signs of improvement in the second half, two goals allowed to Wilkinson proved to negate the Lady Vols’ early efforts.

“It’s pretty disappointing to let them back in,” Kirt said. “Obviously they were really dangerous in transition.”

Tennessee was outplayed in the first half, leading to two goals by the Aggies. However, even though the Lady Vols played better in limiting defensive opportunities, two key moments proved costly for Tennessee.

All season, Tennessee has put together good performances and been unable to get results because of mistakes in important situations. Sunday’s game was no different.

“We have to finish the job,” Kirt said. “That’s really frustrating for all of us, staff and players alike.”
 
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