History of Lady Vols Soccer part 6.
1996 Season Review
The first season was considered a success since The Lady Vols made the SEC Tournament. They clinched a spot by beating Mississippi State in double overtime in the final SEC match of the season.
Recap of the inaugural season in Knoxville taken from the 1997 media guide.
“HEADING INTO KNOXVILLE” A ball-shaped spaceship hovered over the University of Tennessee in the fall of 1996 and, much like the hit movie “Independence Day,” the invasion created pandemonium. But in this case, the uproar was over the sport of soccer, and the accomplishments and overwhelming reception of the Lady Vols indicate a bright future for the program. Head coach Charlie MacCabe’s squad had its share of first-year struggles -— including injuries, a lack of depth and tough first-year opponents. But the group could scarcely have been a better one to meet those challenges in terms of the effort it put forth and its ability to bounce back from adversity and hardship. “We laid out a very challenging course for ourselves in our first year,” admitted MacCabe, “but I think it was a great growing experience for the players and staff.” As the final Southeastern Conference school to add soccer, the Lady Vols finished with an overall record of 6-13-1, including a 3-5 slate in SEC action. The season’s highlight certainly was qualifying to play in the league tournament as a first-year team. Much of why MacCabe feels so positively about the season and the road ahead centers around the nucleus of the program—the athletes. His group of 19 showed its character in the way it focused on and responded to the task at hand. “We have a tremendous group of young women who are completely committed to the objectives of our program,” MacCabe credited. “They are outstanding students, very disciplined and have a tremendous enthusiasm.” The season began with a tremendous bang when 2,631 fans, including Olympic gold medalists Mia Hamm and Tisha Venturini, and the university’s president, cheered on the Lady Vols to a 7-0 rout over UT-Chattanooga on Aug. 30, in a battle between teams in their inaugural games. The standing-room-only crowd was one of the nation’s largest single-game turnouts and helped boost the Lady Vols to a 10th- place national finish in average attendance. Tennessee wasted no time in facing quality opponents when it hosted No. 17 Vanderbilt two days later. Another rousing crowd of 1,326 spectators witnessed the Lady Vols limit the Commodores to a single score in the first half before relinquishing three goals in the second stanza en route to a 4-0 loss. The Big Orange then took to the road for the first time, heading to the Lone Star state to face Texas and Baylor. Tennessee held a 1-0 lead against the Longhorns, but Texas responded with the next four goals to win 4-1. Against Baylor, Tennessee jumped out to a a 3-1 halftime cushion behind junior Holly Kimble’s two goals, only to see Baylor rally with three unanswered second-half tallies to send the Lady Vols home with a disappointing 4-3 defeat. However, the squad showed its character with a solid effort in their next two games. First, the team took to the road for an SEC matchup against second- year program Louisiana State. UT spoiled the Tigers’ home opener, and their first game ever in their brand- new facility, with a convincing 4-2 victory. The following two games, however, were a reminder that the team was still in its infancy. Back on their home turf, the Lady Vols held 32 eventual Western Division champion Arkansas scoreless for the first 88:58, but could not convert a shot themselves to counter what was the Razorbacks’ second-straight last-minute game-winning goal. A trip to eighth-ranked Clemson proved no easier for Tennessee. Although UT played the Tigers evenly in the second half, it could not overcome a five-goal Clemson scoring spree in the first period, nor its own two-game scoring drought. The Lady Vols then began their toughest stretch of the season, playing five games in 10 days, including three conference matchups and three games on the road. That portion of their maiden voyage started off quite well, however, as UT surprised South Carolina 3-2 behind Melissa Covington’s hat trick to notch its second SEC win. However, the subsequent trip to the Sunshine state is where Tennessee found the largest bumps in the road. The Lady Vols faced No. 7 Florida on its home turf, where a flurry of four Gator goals in the last 15 minutes of the first half sank Tennessee. But it did I Heather Handel and the Lady Vols enjoyed a successful inaugural campaign. not compare to what happened at the 62:15 mark. Sarah Shivley, UT’s lone healthy keeper, sprained her right shoulder and was forced to leave the game after a late challenge on a loose ball in the penalty area. Junior midfielder Bethany Himel got the nod to tend the net, collecting three saves and holding UF to one goal in her 28 minutes. Against Florida State two days later, Himel stopped three shots in the first half in which both the ‘Noles and the Lady Vols were scoreless. Then, four saves and one goal later, inexperience found Himel handling a ball outside of the penalty area. She was issued a red card and ejected from the game. Even though new keeper Brooke Sweeney saved three shots, four went past her, and Tennessee was shut out in losing, 5-0. The mettle of the UT soccer team shined through, however, when it faced traditional power SMU in Nashville only three days later. With Shivley back in goal, the Lady Vols played their best game of the season but finished on the short end of a 1-0 score. The grueling stretch ended with a 3-1 loss to Xavier at home, with the lone Tennessee goal coming off the foot of junior forward Debbie Markovich. Tennessee rebounded again when it edged UNC Asheville, 2-1, behind goals by Covington and Himel, then dropped a disappointing 2-1 match to Memphis. Next, the Lady Vols traveled to Murfreesboro and dominated Middle Tennessee State in all facets of the game to win 4-0, as Markovich notched two goals. The Orange and White’s final home game of the season brought No. 15 Kentucky to town. The crowd of 450 gave Tennessee a final home attendance average of 792, but the Lady Vols fell to the Wildcats by a count of 3-0. The next two matches against the conference Bulldogs would determine UT’s postseason fate, as it faced No. 25 Georgia and Mississippi State on the road. Tennessee began the trip with a hard-fought 2-1 loss in Athens. That set up the critical match against Mississippi State, on which the Lady Vols’ SEC tournament hopes rested. The first overtime game of Tennessee’s young program held more excitement than seemingly possible, but the Orange and White managed a 3-2 victory on a penalty kick by Kimble to earn an SEC Tournament berth. “Beating MSU on the road with an SEC tournament berth on the line in overtime-that was a big win for us,” MacCabe exclaimed. The regular season ended with UT’s second- straight overtime game, a 2-2 tie at Radford. At the SEC tournament in Lexington, Ky., eighth-seeded Tennessee battled top-seed Florida, as well as gale-like winds. The Lady Vols gave an outstanding defensive effort in the first half, but the Gators found the net three times early in the second half before the match ended at 73:07 because of torrential rainfall and nearby tornado warnings. Several Lady Vols stood out in helping establish the program, but MacCabe singled out the freshman class in terms of producing under tremendous pressure in their first year. Covington finished the season as the leading scorer, knocking in nine goals, including six in SEC games, and dishing out four assists for 22 points. Meanwhile, the Heathers—Handel and Redecker— had outstanding seasons as reliable defenders. Transfers Natalie Balash, Kimble and Kassie Kees also played major roles in the season’s successes. Kimble, as a midfielder, was UT’s second-leading scorer and served as co-captain, leading the squad both on the field and off. Kees, playing sweeper, and Balash, a co- captain, helped anchor the defense. “I expected our juniors and transfers to give solid performances, and they did,” MacCabe said. “But I was especially pleased with the performance of our freshman class.” Undaunted by being a fledgling program on and off the field, with no footsteps to follow and experiencing “firsts” on a daily basis, the soccer team achieved great success in the classroom. The squad earned the highest grade point average of any team during the fall semester, with three Lady Vols notching perfect 4.0s: Kathy Blakemore, Natalie Balash and Heather Redecker. Earning spots on the SEC Academic Honor Roll were Blakemore and junior Bethany Himel, the only two players on the team who met the initial criteria for the award of already having completed a full year at UT. Additionally, 13 of the 19 players finshed the year on the Dean’s List. “Whatever challenge confronted us, our players responded,” MacCabe concluded. “They were matched against experienced, seasoned opponents, and they learned to compete. I am excited about the future of our program.” After the success and growth experience in their first-ever season, it seems the sky is the limit for Lady Volunteer soccer.
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Entran #25 Nayeli Díaz, #11 Mónica Ocampo y #21 Nina Nicosia
Salen #24 Destinee Manzo, #26 Amanda Murillo y #30 Chinwe Ihezuo
