⚽️Lady Vols Soccer Thread
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orange beard
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Well, we've improved significantly defensively and in general. We played a very strong first half tonight. But things are off with our attack. For one thing, you gotta get balls on the net: Thomas, as mentioned above, had a good chance in the first half and didn't even come close to putting the ball on net.
A terrible shot. I think our forwards spend too much time with the ball---which sometimes works out when George muscles her way past two defenders and gets a good centering pass in or creates a corner--but often it just gives the opponent time to get more defenders in its box.
Thomas has to improve her passing. She's excellent at scoring, of course--but forwards must also help to move the ball and create scoring opportunities for others and she just has too many errant passes. She made a good move in the second half to beat a defender and gain the ball close to the lsu end line--and then she kicks the ball directly to the lsu keeper when we had players at the top of the box.
Fusco had a couple of transition opportunities in the first half but couldn't make anything of them. She is very active and playing well but it's been hard for her to get open shots in recent games. Huff had one half chance in the first half that went over the bar and another that the keeper grabbed.
We have some players who try to head the ball without jumping--or maybe they jump 3 or 6 inches off the ground. No: You have to get UP in the air to properly head the ball--see French's goal against Arkansas in last year's SEC title game. THAT is how you head a ball. We just don't have many players who can do it. They are always getting it wrong--either because they can't jump, or don't jump high enough, or don't time their jumps well.
Lsu has some good athletes. I watched them for a bit in a couple of games earlier this season and they looked pretty impressive--including defensively. So I was actually a bit surprised that we dominated the first half the way we did--but got nothing out of it. It's a bit scary to think that bama scored 5 goals on lsu and we scored 0. Bama is good at getting the ball to players around the box who are clever about creating room to get shots off--and they can shoot the ball. When we have the ball around the box there always seem to be defenders clogging the shooting lanes. This is something that the coaches must examine.
I couldn't figure out what position Washington was playing in the 2nd half: She was drifting around in the middle of the pitch, as she often does---but she was also getting forward as if she was playing forward--and she might have been. When she was playing, Fusco and Burdette were on the field, and when she came out, late, Thomas came in for her. Our coaches might be feeling a bit desperate if they're playing Washington at forward. I'm quite sure she's never played forward. She's a tall player--5'10"--so maybe they think she can head in a cross or something, I don't know. I think her height is one reason why she's not a good midfielder--just not quick enough or active enough.
Simmonds is a player whom I think could score for us--but she's not gotten any real chances in the last few games either. I actually didn't see all of her minutes tonight, so maybe she got a shot and I didn't see it. Stayart has showed that she can hit the ball--has scored a goal or two in limited minutes. Maybe she needs more time on the pitch.
I'm encouraged by our overall solid play--we've gotten better--but we'll face good defensive teams in the next three games and we have to find a way to score.
A terrible shot. I think our forwards spend too much time with the ball---which sometimes works out when George muscles her way past two defenders and gets a good centering pass in or creates a corner--but often it just gives the opponent time to get more defenders in its box.
Thomas has to improve her passing. She's excellent at scoring, of course--but forwards must also help to move the ball and create scoring opportunities for others and she just has too many errant passes. She made a good move in the second half to beat a defender and gain the ball close to the lsu end line--and then she kicks the ball directly to the lsu keeper when we had players at the top of the box.
Fusco had a couple of transition opportunities in the first half but couldn't make anything of them. She is very active and playing well but it's been hard for her to get open shots in recent games. Huff had one half chance in the first half that went over the bar and another that the keeper grabbed.
We have some players who try to head the ball without jumping--or maybe they jump 3 or 6 inches off the ground. No: You have to get UP in the air to properly head the ball--see French's goal against Arkansas in last year's SEC title game. THAT is how you head a ball. We just don't have many players who can do it. They are always getting it wrong--either because they can't jump, or don't jump high enough, or don't time their jumps well.
Lsu has some good athletes. I watched them for a bit in a couple of games earlier this season and they looked pretty impressive--including defensively. So I was actually a bit surprised that we dominated the first half the way we did--but got nothing out of it. It's a bit scary to think that bama scored 5 goals on lsu and we scored 0. Bama is good at getting the ball to players around the box who are clever about creating room to get shots off--and they can shoot the ball. When we have the ball around the box there always seem to be defenders clogging the shooting lanes. This is something that the coaches must examine.
I couldn't figure out what position Washington was playing in the 2nd half: She was drifting around in the middle of the pitch, as she often does---but she was also getting forward as if she was playing forward--and she might have been. When she was playing, Fusco and Burdette were on the field, and when she came out, late, Thomas came in for her. Our coaches might be feeling a bit desperate if they're playing Washington at forward. I'm quite sure she's never played forward. She's a tall player--5'10"--so maybe they think she can head in a cross or something, I don't know. I think her height is one reason why she's not a good midfielder--just not quick enough or active enough.
Simmonds is a player whom I think could score for us--but she's not gotten any real chances in the last few games either. I actually didn't see all of her minutes tonight, so maybe she got a shot and I didn't see it. Stayart has showed that she can hit the ball--has scored a goal or two in limited minutes. Maybe she needs more time on the pitch.
I'm encouraged by our overall solid play--we've gotten better--but we'll face good defensive teams in the next three games and we have to find a way to score.
Aladywhovolunteer
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A good development. What means everything is trying to get the highest seed we can in the NCAA tourney, which I think this year will include seeds beyond just 1-4. The seeding might go up to 16 this year--must check. Of course to win the East we'll have to get results--preferrably wins--against south carolina and vandy--and that will help with our NCAA seeding. So there is still a lot to play for--and we need to figure how to unlock our attack, which right now seems less than the sum of its parts.
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DeerPark12
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We're ok offensively--but not great. There are a lot of fairly weak offensive teams in the SEC this year. In fact, I think bama is the only opponent we've had who can be said to be strong in attack--and they, somewhat out of nowhere, are very good. Lsu was described tonight as a good offensive team--I guess their goal total for the season is fairly impressive--but you wouldn't have known that tonight. Most of the credit goes to our team--which has been good defensively in the last 5 games. But Ole Miss, Missouri, Kentucky, Florida, Georgia--none of those teams are particularly good in attack. Ole Miss was our best win when we played them--and now they've lost 4 straight.
It used to be that G. Washington didn't play at all. Then Kirt started giving her some minutes to relieve Burdette--which made a tiny bit of sense (but only that), since IMO defensive mid is the only position I can ever see her playing, and I don't think she's good at that. But in the last two games Kirt has got a little weird: He's suddenly started inserting Washington when resting Fusco--our attacking mid. And not just Fusco! Washington came in for Fusco in the middle of the second half, played, I don't know, 12 minutes or so, then Fusco came back in the game, Huff went out of the game for a rest--and Washington stayed in the game! I know I give Washington a hard time--because she's never shown herself to be the least bit influential---but why would you replace two of our best and most active players--attacking players--with one of our least active players who has never displayed any attacking qualities since she's been at UT? We're in defensive battle, trying to put one ball in the net--and Kirt is playing Washington for 30 minutes--a player who in something like 240 minutes of action this season has 0 shots, 0 assists, zeroes across the board. To be fair, Washington has been a bit more active in the last two games--but we're talking an incremental improvement over a very low bar.
Jenna Stayart is a better midfielder than Washington, based on what I've seen. She's played about the same amount of minutes as Washington--and she has 2 goals, 1 assist and 9 shots this season. And of those 9 shots, 5 were /on goal/: that's a good SOG percentage. Now, most of Stayart's playing time occurred in our non-conference games--she's not played at all lately--but she showed talent and qualities in those games. She's active, she's got a good soccer body, she can play. One of her goals was, as I recall, a belter from around the top of the box--just what we need. Wouldn't you want to put THAT player in the game in place of Fusco and Huff? I would. I'm not suggesting that Stayart would suddenly make a difference in a game--but she's got better attacking qualities than Washington. The coaches obviously see something in Washington--but what it is, I don't know. And it's doubly curious and crazy because Kirt doesn't use the bench much at all.
It used to be that G. Washington didn't play at all. Then Kirt started giving her some minutes to relieve Burdette--which made a tiny bit of sense (but only that), since IMO defensive mid is the only position I can ever see her playing, and I don't think she's good at that. But in the last two games Kirt has got a little weird: He's suddenly started inserting Washington when resting Fusco--our attacking mid. And not just Fusco! Washington came in for Fusco in the middle of the second half, played, I don't know, 12 minutes or so, then Fusco came back in the game, Huff went out of the game for a rest--and Washington stayed in the game! I know I give Washington a hard time--because she's never shown herself to be the least bit influential---but why would you replace two of our best and most active players--attacking players--with one of our least active players who has never displayed any attacking qualities since she's been at UT? We're in defensive battle, trying to put one ball in the net--and Kirt is playing Washington for 30 minutes--a player who in something like 240 minutes of action this season has 0 shots, 0 assists, zeroes across the board. To be fair, Washington has been a bit more active in the last two games--but we're talking an incremental improvement over a very low bar.
Jenna Stayart is a better midfielder than Washington, based on what I've seen. She's played about the same amount of minutes as Washington--and she has 2 goals, 1 assist and 9 shots this season. And of those 9 shots, 5 were /on goal/: that's a good SOG percentage. Now, most of Stayart's playing time occurred in our non-conference games--she's not played at all lately--but she showed talent and qualities in those games. She's active, she's got a good soccer body, she can play. One of her goals was, as I recall, a belter from around the top of the box--just what we need. Wouldn't you want to put THAT player in the game in place of Fusco and Huff? I would. I'm not suggesting that Stayart would suddenly make a difference in a game--but she's got better attacking qualities than Washington. The coaches obviously see something in Washington--but what it is, I don't know. And it's doubly curious and crazy because Kirt doesn't use the bench much at all.
MAD
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No. 16 UT Records Fourth Straight Shutout With 0-0 Draw Against LSU
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 16 Tennessee picked up its fourth straight shutout on Friday, playing LSU to a 0-0 draw in front of a crowd of 1,786 at Regal Soccer Stadium.
Despite not logging a goal, the Lady Vols were dominant offensively, taking 12 shots to the Tigers' six while holding possession for nearly 60 percent of the match.
UT (9-3-2, 5-1-1 SEC) was led by sophomore Taylor Huff who controlled the ball through the midfield and logged three shots on the night. In goal, senior Lindsey Romig played all 90 minutes, facing six shots and recording one save.
The Tigers (8-3-4, 3-2-2 SEC) got two shots each from Sage Glover and Mollie Baker, and keeper Mollee Swift made three saves.
"Obviously, there were some good chances tonight, and in the end, we didn't finish. I thought we did enough to win, but we didn't convert our chances," said Tennessee head coach Joe Kirt.
"We are still 4-0 in the east, and that's important in terms of winning (the division)... But it's frustrating. As a team, we've got to find a way to move on to score a goal and put them away, but it's another shutout. We did great continuing to defend as a team and created a number of chances, so we just have to put one away, and we're in a good spot."
Tennessee managed three quick shots in the opening minutes but got their first quality look in the 18th minute when Huff won the ball at midfield and dribbled through defenders all the way to the top of the box before finding Jaida Thomas for a shot that missed high. Huff created a chance of her own a minute later, but that shot also sailed over the crossbar.
Huff put UT's first shot on goal in the 31st minute, forcing Swift into a diving save with a blast from 16 yards out. She created one more chance before the half, driving into the box after a free kick that was played short and crossing it into a host of Volunteers where Zaluski fired one at the net, but a deflection by a Tiger defender prevented the goal.
Thomas got the first good opportunity of the second half just four minutes in, getting on the end of a cross by Huff and taking a touch before blasting one on target from 10 yards out, but Swift and an LSU defender teamed up to keep the ball out of the net.
Romig made her first save of the game in the 57th minute when Glover got behind the Tennessee defense and logged the Tigers' only shot on goal of the night.
Tennessee made a strong push offensively in the closing minutes, but ultimately couldn't find the back of the net as time expired with the score knotted at zero.
UP NEXT: The Lady Vols will travel to Auburn for a 7:30 p.m. ET matchup on Thursday that will be streamed on SECN+.
SHUTOUT SEASON: The four straight shutouts against Ole Miss, Missouri, Georgia and LSU mark the first time since 2005 that a Tennessee team recorded four shutouts in a row against SEC opponents. The clean sheets that season came in the form of wins over Georgia (1-0), LSU (2-0), and Auburn (1-0) as well as a 0-0 draw against Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament from which UT advanced on PKs, 4-3, before winning the SEC Championship the next match with the 1-0 win over Auburn.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 16 Tennessee picked up its fourth straight shutout on Friday, playing LSU to a 0-0 draw in front of a crowd of 1,786 at Regal Soccer Stadium.
Despite not logging a goal, the Lady Vols were dominant offensively, taking 12 shots to the Tigers' six while holding possession for nearly 60 percent of the match.
UT (9-3-2, 5-1-1 SEC) was led by sophomore Taylor Huff who controlled the ball through the midfield and logged three shots on the night. In goal, senior Lindsey Romig played all 90 minutes, facing six shots and recording one save.
The Tigers (8-3-4, 3-2-2 SEC) got two shots each from Sage Glover and Mollie Baker, and keeper Mollee Swift made three saves.
"Obviously, there were some good chances tonight, and in the end, we didn't finish. I thought we did enough to win, but we didn't convert our chances," said Tennessee head coach Joe Kirt.
"We are still 4-0 in the east, and that's important in terms of winning (the division)... But it's frustrating. As a team, we've got to find a way to move on to score a goal and put them away, but it's another shutout. We did great continuing to defend as a team and created a number of chances, so we just have to put one away, and we're in a good spot."
Tennessee managed three quick shots in the opening minutes but got their first quality look in the 18th minute when Huff won the ball at midfield and dribbled through defenders all the way to the top of the box before finding Jaida Thomas for a shot that missed high. Huff created a chance of her own a minute later, but that shot also sailed over the crossbar.
Huff put UT's first shot on goal in the 31st minute, forcing Swift into a diving save with a blast from 16 yards out. She created one more chance before the half, driving into the box after a free kick that was played short and crossing it into a host of Volunteers where Zaluski fired one at the net, but a deflection by a Tiger defender prevented the goal.
Thomas got the first good opportunity of the second half just four minutes in, getting on the end of a cross by Huff and taking a touch before blasting one on target from 10 yards out, but Swift and an LSU defender teamed up to keep the ball out of the net.
Romig made her first save of the game in the 57th minute when Glover got behind the Tennessee defense and logged the Tigers' only shot on goal of the night.
Tennessee made a strong push offensively in the closing minutes, but ultimately couldn't find the back of the net as time expired with the score knotted at zero.
UP NEXT: The Lady Vols will travel to Auburn for a 7:30 p.m. ET matchup on Thursday that will be streamed on SECN+.
SHUTOUT SEASON: The four straight shutouts against Ole Miss, Missouri, Georgia and LSU mark the first time since 2005 that a Tennessee team recorded four shutouts in a row against SEC opponents. The clean sheets that season came in the form of wins over Georgia (1-0), LSU (2-0), and Auburn (1-0) as well as a 0-0 draw against Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament from which UT advanced on PKs, 4-3, before winning the SEC Championship the next match with the 1-0 win over Auburn.
Happy to see Marcano sign with Fenerbahçe. I don't know much about the club except that I think it's the biggest and
most well-known club in Turkey. I assume she's got a better contract than she had in Iceland--which probably was quite modest.
I know that a number of well-known male players from Europe have played for Fenerbahce.
I have no idea what the women's league in Turkey is like--I have never read a word about it. Ideally, Marcano would want
to have another good year in Turkey and then move on to a better league in central Europe. At age 25, she is not old, of course,
but by soccer standards she is not young either--as in Europe there are a lot of promising players in the 19--22 age range, most
of whom do not go the college route that we mostly use in America.
Marcano is rather small for a forward but very athletic. Had she lived in Europe and simply started training with a pro club in her middle-late
teens, as many do, she might be a pretty formidable player in one of Europe's better leagues by now--though perhaps as an attacking mid
and not as a forward. But then she would have not have had what I hope was her good college experience--and by that I mean her complete college experience, not just the soccer side of it. Marcano languished during her first two years at UT--didn't play as much as she should have. I think that was a mistake by Pensky. She was very good as a senior.
It's hard to argue with those who say that really promising young players develop faster by eschewing college and training with pro clubs. We have a few
examples in America--Trinity Rodman, Malary Pugh, Lindsey Horan all skipped college and went the pro route at a young age. The down side of
the pro route--and you see this in Europe--is that a lot of young kids (males, especially) spend years training in pro-club development programs in their teens only to be dropped by the club at one point or another because they aren't good enough--their dreams dashed.
Here's to another good year for the former Vol.
most well-known club in Turkey. I assume she's got a better contract than she had in Iceland--which probably was quite modest.
I know that a number of well-known male players from Europe have played for Fenerbahce.
I have no idea what the women's league in Turkey is like--I have never read a word about it. Ideally, Marcano would want
to have another good year in Turkey and then move on to a better league in central Europe. At age 25, she is not old, of course,
but by soccer standards she is not young either--as in Europe there are a lot of promising players in the 19--22 age range, most
of whom do not go the college route that we mostly use in America.
Marcano is rather small for a forward but very athletic. Had she lived in Europe and simply started training with a pro club in her middle-late
teens, as many do, she might be a pretty formidable player in one of Europe's better leagues by now--though perhaps as an attacking mid
and not as a forward. But then she would have not have had what I hope was her good college experience--and by that I mean her complete college experience, not just the soccer side of it. Marcano languished during her first two years at UT--didn't play as much as she should have. I think that was a mistake by Pensky. She was very good as a senior.
It's hard to argue with those who say that really promising young players develop faster by eschewing college and training with pro clubs. We have a few
examples in America--Trinity Rodman, Malary Pugh, Lindsey Horan all skipped college and went the pro route at a young age. The down side of
the pro route--and you see this in Europe--is that a lot of young kids (males, especially) spend years training in pro-club development programs in their teens only to be dropped by the club at one point or another because they aren't good enough--their dreams dashed.
Here's to another good year for the former Vol.
MAD
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MAD
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MAD
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MAD
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Jr_Vol#
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MAD
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MATCH CENTRAL: #18 UT at Auburn
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- No. 18 Tennessee heads to Auburn for a 7:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. CT matchup against the Tigers that will be streamed on SECN+.
UT (9-3-2, 5-1-1 SEC) will be looking to extend its shutout streak to five games, having recorded clean sheets against Ole Miss, Missouri, Georgia and LSU over the last four contests.
In their most recent outing, the Lady Vols tied LSU 0-0 at home. Despite not logging a goal, the Lady Vols were dominant offensively, taking 12 shots to the Tigers' six while holding possession for nearly 60 percent of the match. In goal, senior Lindsey Romig played all 90 minutes, facing six shots and recording one save.
Auburn (6-4-5, 2-4-1 SEC) is coming off a 3-1 loss at Texas A&M on Friday.
The Lady Vols own a 12-10-4 record all-time against AU. The teams last met in Knoxville on Sept. 23 last season when UT defeated then-No. 11 Tigers at home in double overtime, 2-1.
UP NEXT: The Lady Vols will return to Knoxville for a two-game homestand, hosting No. 21 South Carolina in a 1 p.m. ET matinee on Sunday (SECN+) and Vanderbilt in the regular-season finale at 6:30 p.m. ET on Thursday (SEC Network).
SCOUTING THE TIGERS: Auburn went 12-7-1 overall and 5-4-1 in conference games last season and were picked to finish fourth in the SEC in 2022 as voted on by the league's coaches.
SHUTOUT SEASON: The four straight shutouts against Ole Miss, Missouri, Georgia and LSU mark the first time since 2005 that a Tennessee team recorded four shutouts in a row against SEC opponents. The clean sheets that season came in the form of wins over Georgia (1-0), LSU (2-0), and Auburn (1-0) as well as a 0-0 draw against Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament from which UT advanced on PKs, 4-3, before winning the SEC Championship the next match with the 1-0 win over Auburn.
TOP-20 NUMBERS: UT has scored 38 goals on the year to rank 11th in the country in scoring offense at 2.71. The Lady Vols rank 11th in points per game (7.86) and tie for 12th in corner kicks per game (7.14) and 15th in assists per game (2.43).
EVERYONE IS DANGEROUS: With the 11th-ranked scoring offense in the country, it's no surprise that Tennessee has multiple offensive threats. Twelve Lady Vols have carded a goal so far this season, and 15 have tallied an assist.
HAPPY TO ASSIST: Mackenzie George has logged an assist in four of the last five matches, tying Taylor Huff to lead the team in assists at six on the season.
CLAUDIA IN CONFERENCE: Claudia Dipasupil's goal against Georgia was her third of the season, all of which have come in SEC play. She has scored those three goals on just five shots, all of which were on frame, for a shot percentage of .600 and a shot-on-goal percentage of 1.00 in conference games. She ties with Jaida Thomas to lead UT in total points in SEC play with nine (3 goals/3 assists).
EFFICIENCY ON THE WING: Dipasupil ranks fourth on the team in points (10) despite ranking 11th on the squad in minutes played (598). Among the four Lady Vols with double-digit points on the season, she is the only one who has attempted fewer than 30 shots, having taken just six on the year.
TRACKING THOMAS: Jaida Thomas has scored goals in four of the last five games, moving her season total to an SEC-leading 12 goals and her career total to 37 to pull within six goals of tying Kylee Rossi at No. 1 all time in career goals scored at UT. She has tallied three game-winning goals this season and 11 during her career to tie Hannah Wilkinson and Kayla Lockaby for fourth-most in program history. Caroline Brown holds the program record of 15.
AS THOMAS GOES, SO DOES TENNESSEE: Thomas has appeared in 52 games for UT, during which time the Lady Vols are 28-1-1 in matches in which she has tallied at least one point. In contests when she hasn't recorded a point, UT is 9-11-2.
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.
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