⚽️Lady Vols Soccer Thread

[turbovol]

I'm watching alabama playing south carolina. Alabama has dominated possession but game was scoreless at the half. Bama has just scored early in the second half to take a 1-0 lead. South Carolina, until the goal, has played solidly in defense--as it always does--but they've been anemic in attack--don't think they've had a shot on goal yet. Bama plays a high line, gets a lot of people forwarr. That should create counter-attacking opportunities but South Carolina does not have the speed up top to create problems. Barry, their center forward, is big and has a big leg--but she's not very big or quick and has not even gotten a shot. Bama is a veteran team--a lot of seniors--and they are solid. Two of their best players are transfers--one from UVA and one from, ironically, South Carolina. It's kind of weird to have one of your better players transfer to another SEC school and start and play well for them.

Bama has just scored on a header by Parker to make it 2-0. Parker, a grad student, has 7 goals for bama already.

One thing that frustrates me about the Vols is that many of our players don't even seem to jump FOR balls into the box. You have to jump--duh. We gotta start getting to more balls in the box--and our center mids will need to play well if we want to have a good SEC season. I worry about our center-mids.

 

[MAD]

SEC Women's Soccer Tournament Tickets Go On Sale Wednesday

SEC Women's Soccer Tournament Tickets On Sale




Birmingham, Ala. - Tickets to the Southeastern Conference Women's Soccer Tournament will go on sale at 9 a.m. CT on Wednesday, September 14.

Tickets can be purchased at SECTicketOffice.com. All-tournament ticket books are available for $25. Single game tickets for the first three rounds of the tournament are $7 for adults and $5 for youth or military (students and military must show ID). Tickets for the championship are $10 for adults and $7 for students/military. Kids 12 and under wearing a soccer jersey are FREE with a paying adult for all rounds of the tournament.

The SEC Women's Soccer Tournament will take place October 30 - November 6, at Ashton Brosnaham Athletic Park in Pensacola, Fla.

 

[turbovol]

This is all I've been able to find on the Pensacola venue for the SEC soccer tourney. I'm not very impressed, frankly. It's a community soccer complex but doesn't even have bleachers, apparently, unless these two shots aren't the actual field area where the teams will be playing. Maybe there's another field that I've not seen. If there are no bleachers, the city will obviously have to install bleachers for the tourney. In my opinion, the SEC needs to get the tourney out of Florida. The climate in November is nice, but Florida soccer fields in November are not in great shape--and when you are playing 10 games on one field, the field gets chewed up pretty quickly. The ACC tourney is held at a much nicer complex in North Carolina with a green, pristine field. That's what you want for a soccer tourney--again, just my opinion.


https://www.google.com/maps/uv?pb=!1s0x889094503a02db17:0x8dcb080a2a0dfeda!3m1!7e115!4shttps://lh5.googleusercontent.com/p/AF1QipOH86-aXvK3dqjzj2yRNv44aRnE3aUF8beVT6wB=w568-h320-k-no!5sAshton Brosnaham Athletic Park pensacola - Google Search!15sCgIgAQ&imagekey=!1e10!2sAF1QipOH86-aXvK3dqjzj2yRNv44aRnE3aUF8beVT6wB&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwje_9PBopj6AhXFFFkFHZqDBR4Qoip6BAhBEAM

 

[MAD]

MATCH CENTRAL: UT at Florida



KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- The Lady Vols open SEC play on the road, traveling to Gainesville for a 7 p.m. ET matchup with the Gators on Friday. The contest will be streamed on SECN+.

Tennessee (4-2-1) closed out its non-conference slate with four straight shutouts, outscoring opponents 22-0 over that four-game stretch. In its most recent outing, Tennessee dispatched Queens University of Charlotte, 6-0. Junior Lawson Renie logged a brace, while redshirt-junior Jaida Thomas, freshman Kameron Simmonds, redshirt-freshman Jenna Stayart and sophomore Nolyn Bartholomew rounded out the scoring.

UF (2-5-0) enters the match on the heels of a 2-1 loss at East Carolina on Sunday.

UT saw Florida twice last season, taking a 2-0 win at home in the regular season and winning 5-2 in the SEC Tournament.

UP NEXT: Tennessee will continue conference play, hosting Alabama in Regal Stadium at 6 p.m. ET on Thursday, Sept. 22. The match will be streamed on SECN+.

SCOUTING THE GATORS: Florida went 4-12-4 overall last season, posting a 3-6-1 record in conference play. Florida returned nine players that started three or more matches during the 2021 campaign and added 10 newcomers. In the SEC Preseason Coaches poll, the Gators were picked to finish 14th.

UT IN SEC OPENERS: UT is 14-11-1 all-time in SEC openers and is 4-7-1 when opening conference play on the road.

TRACKING THOMAS: Jaida Thomas has now tallied eight goals over the last six games, moving her career total to 33. She is tied with Hannah Wilkinson at second all-time in career scoring at UT and trails No. 1 Kylee Rossi by only 10.

A PROGRAM FIRST: For the first time in Tennessee history, the squad won four consecutive games by four or more goals, outscoring opponents by a combined 22-0 over the four-game stretch.

LOADED OFFENSE: Lawson Renie, Nolyn Bartholomew and Kameron Simmonds all scored their first collegiate goals against Queens. Ten different Lady Vols have now scored this season with six logging two or more goals.

GIRL ON FIRE: Jaida Thomas has racked up eight goals and one assist over the last six games to lead the SEC in goals per game, points per game and total goals scored. Her 1.14 goals per game ranks fifth in the nation, and her 2.43 points per game ties for fifth.

HAPPY TO ASSIST: UT is averaging 3.43 assists per game to tie with Mercer for #1 in NCAA Division I. Sophomore Taylor Huff is leading the effort with four on the season, and redshirt-junior Maria Nelson and fifth-year senior Hannah Zaluski are close behind with three each.

TOP-10 NUMBERS: Tennessee has scored 25 goals on the year to rank fourth in the nation in scoring offense at 3.57. UT's 11.4 shots on goal per game also ranks fourth nationally, and the team is third in points per game with 10.57.
TENNESSEE ON TOP: The Lady Vols were picked to finish first in the SEC as voted on by the conference's 14 head coaches. UT is coming off a 2021 campaign in which it won a program-best 20 games, clinching an SEC Tournament Championship and going 20-3 en route to the NCAA Round of 16.

 

[MAD]

 

[turbovol]

Chris Henderson

@chris_awk
·
Follow
For the curious, the highest five rated players in NCAA WoSo in inStat Index heading into Friday:
1. Lia Godfrey (Virginia)
2. Jenna Nighswonger (Florida State)
3. Hannah Bebar (Harvard)
4. Taylor Huff (Tennessee)
5. Raegan Kelley (Vanderbilt)


I'm not surprised....

 

[kregman]

Good goal really poor graphics work.

 

[kregman]

It worked but would not have Diapusil taking the PK

 

[kregman]

Worst camera work in a while.

 

[kregman]

Feels like we should be up more. Back D has been less than stellar. Their goalie can’t kick.

 

[turbovol]

A misleading 2-0 lead. We are not as good in the 3-5-2 as we were last year in the 4-4-2. We are not nearly as good defensively, for starters. Florida had 3 or more good chances; Romig has had to make 2-3 GOOD saves or this match would be much different. We're relying on Rain to chase down opponent forwards who, were it not for her speed, would be in on our goal. Good as she is, we are going to get burned with this formation--mark it. We got lucky on the Dipasupil PK goal--it was, frankly, a terrible PK that somehow went in the net. Let Huff take PKs--good grief.

Huff and Fusco were obviously exhausted at the 10' mark and yet Kirt apparently didn't notice. Huff could barely run--which is not surprising given how much box to box running she does. She should have been subbed out earlier. That said, when Huff and Fusco did go out, our midfield play disappeared and we were under a lot of pressure late in the half. Eskin is not a forward--she is constantly pushed off the ball because she's too small. I'm not a fan of Nelson at right-side winger: All of Florida's goal-scoring chances have come from her side of the field. She is too lanky and lopey of stride to be a midfielder; she is not good defensively--and that's one reason why the team is not as good defensively. Last year we had two good centerbacks and two good outside backs who could play high and defend well; now, the good outside backs are in the back and we have two outside mids who are of lesser quality and athleticism in the midfield, and that's going to be an issue all year, I predict.

 

[kregman]

Great camera work again. Nelson is not good. Renie nice goal for them.

 

[C/O]

These last 20 minutes have been intense. Very entertaining to watch.

 

[kregman]

Romig saved us. It is going to be a long conference year if we don’t improve.

 

[Lurker]

I agree. I don’t think this team has the personnel to efficiently play the 3-5-2. I would love to hear why the coaches are pushing this issue without some consideration of at least trying a formation that seems so obviously beneficial and suitable to this talent - a basic 4-4-2.

And PKs are important. Huff, Fusco, George and Thomas are the obvious choices. Go Vols!

 

[turbovol]

Romig saved us. It is going to be a long conference year if we don’t improve.

You said it. Florida is going to be somewhere near the bottom of the conference this year--and while I did not see the last 20 minutes, I think it's fair to say we were a bit fortunate to get out of there with a win. Here's the bottom line: Despite having 10 of 11 starters back, we're not as good as last year's team. That is evident, and has been evident for a few weeks. We did some good things in the first half, for sure, but our play and decision-making in the final third is a bit off, and we might be the worst team in the country at converting corner kicks. We were terrible last year--until French won the SEC title with a great header in the championship game--and we're equally bad this year. You have to find the ball in the air, try to get to it and time the jump: Our players all sort of stand around and those closest to the ball seldom seem to even jump. Renie tries--scored on a corner against mighty Tennessee Tech--but she and Burdette and Huff are about the only players who seem to have a sense of how to score off a corner.

Fusco always puts herself in good position on the field--wonderful player--but she's got to finish: She had three good chances tonight--skied two over the box and had another saved by the keeper. She's got to score on one of those.

Kirt could have made one change to last year's lineup--put Hennessey in at centerback to replace French--and rolled with the same formation and personnel that won 20 games last year. Instead, after Pensky flirted with the 3-5-2 in the spring, Kirt has stuck with that formation and...the results have been questionable. We're certainly not as good defensively--more vulnerable to long balls and transition as we saw tonight in the first half-- in particular. It's a more attacking formation, it gives Huff a little more freedom--but unless we're going to score 4 goals a game, and we won't, it's not a formation that I'd use. You gotta be strong defensively in this league--and we looked shaky tonight at times.

Also, we played four cupcake opponents leading up to this game to build our depth, supposedly. Yet, playing in 92% humidity in Florida, Kirt did use enough subs. That was clear. He had only used 1 sub by the 9' mark of the first half. That was just plain dumb. Huff was completely spent by at least the 14' mark--as was Fusco and probably others. He didn't sub Nelson out at all--which made NO SENSE. Meanwhile, Florida, used to playing in the heat, had made multiple subs--and Huff did not look like the same player in the first 20 minutes of the 2nd half as she did in the first--not at all. I think she ran herself into the ground in the first half in the heat. And that's another issue with the 3-5-2: It looks to me like our center mids--Huff, Fusco and Burdette--are having to work harder in this new formation because our outside mids/wingers--Dipasupil/Zaluski and Nelson on the right--simply aren't that involved or influential in the game. Last year the center mids got a lot of help from our outside backs--Rain and Katz, who are quick and athletic and defend well--but they are now playing different positions and the center mids seem to be carrying more of the offensive and defensive work load. Not good.

I've had concerns about this formation and Kirt's personnel selections for weeks, said let's wait until SEC play starts, and so now that it has, my concerns are even heightened! In this formation you've got to finish and put the ball in the net--or you're going to be playing with fire because of our defensive vulnerabilities. We now got hated bama coming in next game--one of the surprise teams in the country; a veteran team, a hungry team. It's a great opportunity to pick up good RPI points with a victory--but if we play like we did tonight we'll get beat. I saw them play South Carolilna last night--and they like to bring a lot of players forward and press, and we will have to play well in transition and make them pay for their aggressiveness. Onward.

 

[turbovol]

We gave up 10 shots on goal tonight to a team that's going to be bottom of conference. That's a lot in soccer. Romig made 9 saves. That's a very high number. Major defensive red flags--as mentioned.

 

[jeebie]

Romig saved us. It is going to be a long conference year if we don’t improve.

Kudos to Romig. She played well and you're right, she saved us.

 

[MAD]

Lady Vols Tame Gators In SEC Opener, 2-1



GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Tennessee took a win in its SEC opener, defeating the Gators on the road, 2-1.

The seniors led the way for the Lady Vols (5-2-1, 1-0 SEC) with Mackenzie George and Claudia Dipasupil finding the net, and Lindsey Romig recording a career-high nine saves on the night.

Maddy Pirrello was the goal-scorer for Florida (2-6-0, 0-1 SEC). In the net, Alexa Goldberg had four saves.

"This was a great league win for our program on the road. Our team put in a gutsy, hard-fought performance anchored by Lindsey in the goal," said Tennessee head coach Joe Kirt.

"We jumped out to a two-goal lead and had a couple great opportunities to extend the lead - credit to their goalkeeper for keeping them in the game. I'm proud of our team's response after giving up a goal on a set piece; they did a very good job seeing the game out during the last few minutes."

George put some flourish on UT's first goal in the 19th minute, taking one touch off a pass from redshirt-junior Jaida Thomasbefore bending a ball into the upper left-hand corner of the goal.

Florida nearly evened the score 90 seconds later when Syd Kennedy got loose in the box and blasted one high toward the far corner, but Romig was there for the acrobatic save.

Tennessee went up 2-0 in the 31st minute when Dipasupil converted on a penalty kick after sophomore Taylor Huff was fouled in the box. UT got a couple good looks in the closing minutes of the first half but couldn't capitalize, taking a two-goal lead into the locker room.

Romig came up clutch again in the 69th minute, knocking a blast from close range clear of the goal, but Florida found the goal on the subsequent penalty kick when Pirrello found the ball in a scramble and knocked the ball in from six yards out.

Florida nearly tied it up in the 80th minute with a driving shot from Kennedy, but Romig came up with a big-time save to keep UT's one-goal advantage.

UF got one more good chance from 20 yards out with a minute remaining, but Romig collected her ninth save of the day, and the Lady Vols finished out the game to claim its first SEC win.

UP NEXT: Tennessee continues SEC play, returning home to host No. 11 Alabama in a 6 p.m. ET match on Thursday.

MONEY: With the third PK of her career against Florida, senior Claudia Dipasupil is now a perfect 3-3 from the penalty spot.

LOADED OFFENSE: Redshirt-junior Jaida Thomas leads the offense with eight goals on the season, but 10 different Lady Vols have found the net this season, with four scoring three or more goals.

 

[turbovol]

Kirt is now officially worrying me? Why?

Because he has not improved the team. He's not improved it from last year--we're not as good. And he's not improved it since the start of the season. He's done no tinkering at all. He's rolled out the same personnel in the same formation every game. I find that rather bizarre, especially because this should be--and I think might be--one of the deepest teams we've had in quite some time. The only time coaches do nothing--do no tinkering--is when either 1) the team is rolling over all opponents; and/or 2) the coach is absolutely convinced that his starters and his formation is the best possible version of the team. We're not rolling over opponents, to be sure-- and this is not the best version of the team, IMO. We flirted with disaster tonight--as even a tie would have been another major blow to our RPI, and this game could easily have ended up a tie (or worse) were it not for one of Romig's best-ever games.

Kirt seems to have a very high opinion of Nelson and I don't see it. She does not run or move well enough to be a midfielder, and is not physical enough. I think Chatterton should be playing more in her place--a quicker, faster player and a true midfielder who needs more game experience. She played a little over six minutes tonight in the 2nd half and didn't seem too happy to be pulled for Nelson so quickly--and I don't blame her.

I also think Hennessey should be playing more. She could, IMO, have replaced French at center-mid and allowed us to stick with the 4-4-2. Kirt didn't do it. Or she could certainly play more in place of Dipasupil/Zaluski, as she is stronger and faster. She's a pretty darn good player. (I noticed Zaluski standing on the sideline, holding an ice-pack against the side of her head, which may explain why she played so little tonight--must have gotten a knock.)

Kirt, as so many coaches do, seems to be favoring veteran players--but veteran players aren't always better. This is a common failure among coaches; they want to reward players who've been on the team longer, when in fact they simply may not be all that good. Hennessey came in very late for, like 3.5 minutes. If you can play her late in the game when trying to protect a 1-goal lead, why did you not play her in the first half to at least give someone a breather. Let me say that the coaches see the players in practice every day, and have for weeks--and I certainly don't. So I can't dispute the fact that their body of knowledge about the players exceeds mine. However, watching how players perform in games reveals a lot. If someone doesn't run all that well in a game, isn't physical, whatever, watching her in practice every day is not going to show anything different. Getting your personnel decisions right is a huge thing in coaching--and I question some of Kirt's decisions thus far.

 

[MAD]

Congrats to VFL Cariel Ellis on her 4th goal of the season for undefeated Lamar.

 

[turbovol]

Hey, Mad:

I want to send you a private message. How do I do that with this system? I should know, but don't!

 

[MAD]

Looks like both VFL’s are out tonight for the Angel City match vs San Diego.



How to Watch San Diego Wave vs. Angel City FC

 

[MAD]

Hey, Mad:

I want to send you a private message. How do I do that with this system? I should know, but don't!

I don’t think it’s possible to send private messages on Volnation anymore. You can send me an email if you like at mad4lg@gmail.com

 

[MAD]