⚽️Lady Vols Soccer Thread

#3,381
#3,381
Three Lady Vols On TopDrawerSoccer.com Top 100 Lists

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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Three Tennessee players were featured on the Top Drawer Soccer Midseason Top 100 lists released this week.

Sophomore midfielder Taylor Huff and redshirt-junior forward Jaida Thomas were named to the TDS Women's National Top 100 at #12 and #21, respectively, and freshman forward Kameron Simmonds was listed on the Freshman Top 100 at #74.


Huff has been on the field for 960 minutes this season and ties for first on the team in assists (6) and second in goals (4) and total points (14). The 2021 SEC Freshman of the Year has logged two game-winners this season, netting the go-ahead goal against Bowling Green and Missouri. She plays a crucial role in controlling and distributing the ball through the the Lady Vols' midfield while leading the team in total shots (46) and shots on goal (23).

Thomas currently leads the SEC and ranks sixth nationally with 12 goals on the season, moving her career total to 37 to pull within seven goals of becoming UT's all-time leading goal scorer. She has netted three game-winners, including logging the only goal of the match in Tennessee's 1-0 victory over then-No. 13 in Oxford.

Simmonds has amassed three goals in her rookie campaign, appearing in all 11 contests in which she's been active. She missed three games while reporting for her first call-up with the Jamaican Senior Women's National Team. She has taken 15 shots on the year, 10 of which were on goal, to log the third-best shot on goal percentage on the team at .667.

The Lady Vols will face Auburn on the road on Thursday before returning 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).
 
#3,386
#3,386
Doesn’t it seem like the Vols are playing great until they get close to the goal and instead of making an extra pass someone shoots from distance?
 
#3,393
#3,393
orange beard said:
She has to play more in my thinking!
Click to expand...


Whew--I have not seen the game yet (will watch on replay)--but this is a win we absolutely had to have. As we have for most of the year, we struggled to put the ball in the net--but as has also been our habit, we scored fairly late to win it. Good teams have to win games by shutting out their opponents--it's rather obvious, yes. Well, we've held our last five opponents to 0 goals. That is an accomplishment--a good sign--even if none of the five teams we've kept off the score sheet is particularly good offensively. Still, a shut out is a shut out. Ironically, a South Carolina team that also been pretty anemic offensively for most of this year (and in recent years) could challenge our defense more than our last five opponents. (South Carolina tied Texas A&M tonight, 1-1, but had 15 shots, with 10 on goal. And they've got a dangerous scorer in Barry.

One of our scoring issues is that, while they have been big assets for years, our forwards are somewhat one dimensional. George and Thomas each excel in one area of the attacking game (George as someone who likes to work on, and beat, defenders physically to create corners and crosses and earn assists, and Thomas a pure close-to-goal poacher--) but perhaps lack the all-around skill set (athletically and technically) that great forwards have. Simmonds, in my opinion, is a more complete forward than either Thomas or George. So, yes, while she's been getting good minutes, she should probably get more. She's rarely gotten the ball in a position to score in the last few weeks--but did tonight.

The South Carolina game Sunday is big. We can really improve our RPI by beating SC--and a win will give us the more prominent profile that we've lacked this year. It's a game we really need to take.

Good win tonight.
 
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#3,394
#3,394
Simmonds Goal Gives No. 18 UT 1-0 Shutout At Auburn

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AUBURN, Ala. – No. 18 Tennessee picked up a 1-0 win over Auburn on the road on Thursday, shutting out five straight SEC opponents for the first time in program history.

Tennessee (10-3-2, 6-1-1 SEC) was dominant offensively, putting nine shots on goal while holding Auburn to four. Freshman Kameron Simmonds scored the only goal of the match, finding the net in the 74th minute. Senior Lindsey Romig logged four saves to earn the clean sheet.

The Tigers (6-5-5, 2-5-1 SEC) were led offensively by Carly Thatcher who took three shots with two on frame. In goal, Maddie Prohaska made eight saves on the night.

"This was a gritty performance from our team tonight against an organized and competitive Auburn team," said Tennessee head coach Joe Kirt.

"Our composure on the ball has continued to improve in all phases, becoming more patient in the final third. All of our attacking players were dangerous tonight. Jon (Morgan) challenged them at halftime to have more confidence, and they certainly rose to that challenge in the second half, culminating in Kameron (Simmonds) finding the breakthrough goal on a great strike."

The Lady Vols started out aggressive offensively, peppering the Auburn goal with three shots and two corner kicks in the first six minutes.

In the 13th minute, sophomore Taylor Huff put a shot low and on frame from 12 yards out to force Prohaska into a diving save.

Tennessee got another chance in the 27th minute when redshirt-junior Maria Nelson served the ball into the box and Huff ran onto a missed clearance by the Tigers, but an AU defender got a foot out to block the shot.

The Tigers got off a pair of shots in the 30th minute with Anna Haddock taking the first that was blocked by the Tennessee back line, and Maddie Simpson putting a shot on frame following the rebound, but Romig was there to collect the save.

Tennessee got its most dangerous opportunity of the first half with just over six minutes remaining when Huff threaded a pass to Jaida Thomas who was breaking into to the box. Thomas blasted a shot low at the far corner, but Prohaska came up with an excellent save from close range.

The Lady Vols kept the ball in their attacking third for the remainder of the half but couldn't capitalize, and the game went into the break tied at zero.

Huff opened up the second half with a blast from the top of the eighteen-yard box just three minutes into play, but Prohaska was there to make the diving save.

Two minutes later, Sydney Richards answered with a 24-yard rocket on the other end, but she missed wide right.

The Lady Vols kept the offensive action alive, with senior Claudia Dipasupil finding Huff in the box for a header and sophomore Jordan Fusco putting a shot on frame following the subsequent corner kick.

Simmonds broke behind the Auburn defense in the 72nd minute, driving down the left side of the box and sending a shot toward the far post but missing just wide.

She got another chance 90 seconds later and made it count, receiving a pass from redshirt-freshman Jenna Stayart 25 yards out and beating a Tiger defender one-on-one at the top of the box to drill the ball at the near post and put UT on top 1-0.

Auburn nearly had the equalizer with three minutes left in the game, winning the ball on the endline and trying to sneak one in from two yards out, but Romig made the kick save, and Tennessee rode out the clock.

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).

ROAD WARRIORS: With the win over Auburn, Tennessee completed its SEC away schedule with a perfect 5-0 record while only giving up two goals. Tennessee gone undefeated on the road in SEC play twice previously, but this marks the first time a UT team has won all away games in conference play.

SECOND HALF TEAM: Over the last six games, Tennessee has outscored opponents 10-1. Of those 10 goals, eight have come in the second half with seven of those in the final 20 minutes.
 
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#3,395
#3,395
Thoughts on the Auburn win:

We played a strong game. Had a lot of the ball and we had some good combination play; we were better in that respect than in, for example, the LSU game. Had a very nice sequence in the first half with Huff finding Thomas, who got off a good, curling shot that was one of the Auburn keeper's best saves of the night. Huff had a strong header off a nice cross from Dipasupil that the AU keeper tipped over the bar. We had maybe 5 quality chances and finished one against a mostly defensive-oriented team. In recent games, it seems that our opponents always have numbers back, and so it's been difficult to find the space to get good shots off on goal. We needed this win to solidify our place in the NCAA tourney, especially with two tough games ahead of us. South Carolina and Vandy will be stronger opponents than any of our last five/six.

Positive points:

---Huff was all over the field, as usual. Tremendous work rate on both ends on the field--making runs, making passes, chasing down the ball--and she got knocked down a lot by auburn players in this game. Our center mids as a group, as usual, played well.

----Our back line was vigilant, read the game well. and played with poise with the ball. Renie anchored the defense nicely. Katz--quick to balls. Rain getting forward--as she does so well--is fun to see, but also rather risky in this system as she is easily our defender with the most closing speed--and that is especially true on her side of the field. The only major mistake came with 2 minutes to go in the game when Rain--no doubt tired--got lackadaisical with the ball and it nearly resulted in the equalizing goal.

---Last week I wondered why our coaches were playing a defensive player in an attacking role for 30 minutes when we desperately needed a goal. Didn't seem to make sense. Last night they dropped that idea--the sub in question came in for 9 minutes to relief Burdette (which should be her role) and they brought in Stayart instead. Not only did they bring her in, but she played 30+ minutes and, I think, she helped. She is a young player with some talent, and she can help the attack. We have some talent on the bench (Chatterton is another) that isn't going to develop unless they get some time on the field. It's the first time Stayart has played in weeks, and I expect she can contribute a bit more as she gets comfortable with her role.

--Nelson works hard and did some good things on the right side.

Constructive points:

---I'm not sure what we try to do with corner kicks--but it hasn't worked for two seasons. Forget scoring: we rarely even get a head on the ball. Last night we had 7 corners, I believe, and I think we got a head on one ball. On one corner in the first half Dipasupil had an excellent delivery--a ball with pace that fell right at the top/center of the 6-yard box---ideal spot--and we didn't have a player anywhere close to where the ball came down! Nobody. Auburn has a 6'1" defender who no doubt made things difficult--but this has been a longtime issue for us. We can't find the one or two players who can head the ball, and nobody else finds the ball in the air and makes a play.

---Thomas's imprecise passing has become noticeable. She nicely comes up to the center-line area to help with possession--but last night I want to say that about 7 of her 9 or so back-to-goal layoffs failed to connect with a teammate and were picked off by Auburn. And her front-to-goal passing in the attacking half is often errant as well. She's got to start being more precise as we're losing the ball off her feet too often.

---Our wingbacks are working hard but their attacking play can be rather predictable, no? They get the ball along the touch-line and almost without fail send the ball down the touchline toward a forward making a diagonal run. Our opponents have scouted this tendency; last night those forward runs were usually well marked and we typically lost the ball. This happens a lot. We need a bit more creativity and dynamism and unpredictability out of the wings. If there is space to take with the ball, they should take it. We rarely dribble inside or switch the point of attack. Nelson went to her left (off side) once or twice--and Zaluski, in the second half, found herself with lots of space around the center line and drove the ball aggressively inside and toward the goal. Nice to see! Dipasupil and Nelson are good at crossing the ball and do good things when they have a little room in the attacking third, but IMO the team would benefit from them putting more creative pressure on opponents and not just being wedded to the touchline and sending longish passes to cutting forwards who are usually well covered. Hennessey is playing solidly BUT must improve her crosses; she had two last night, and they were both dire--awful. Gotta be better.

--Katz had her usual good game--but twice in the second half she gave too much room to the ball close to our box, and both times the Auburn player with the ball got a shot off. The second one, at around the 31' mark, involved Auburn's best shooter--and she got the ball on frame. You gotta close down attacking players with the ball near the box or the ball will end up in the net. Katz is very good at keeping the ball in front of her and not getting beat on the dribble, but she has a tendency to give the ball too much room--and that isn't good when the ball is close to goal. I continue to wish she was in the midfield--but it means finding another dynamic, athletic, tough-minded centerback.

Big game against South Carolina on Sunday. I'd like to see us boss that team. One thing we MUST do defensively in this game is mark Barry tightly at all times. We cannot give her room with the ball close to the box--as she is big, can (and will) turn with the ball and is an excellent shooter. See her goal in the second half against Florida as an example of the danger she poses. There's no doubt that SC will try to counter-attack and get the ball to her.

Let's get this win.





---
 
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#3,396
#3,396
Chris Henderson now as our RPI at 24th--so some improvement after last night's win.


Chris Henderson

@chris_awk


NCAA WoSo RPI after Thu, 10/20

Alabama
UCLA
North Carolina
Notre Dame
Arkansas
Florida St
Virginia
Saint Louis
Duke
Pittsburgh
Stanford
Penn St
Michigan St
Arizona St
BYU
TCU
Harvard
Northwestern
Ohio St
Rutgers
South Carolina
Georgetown
Clemson
Tennessee
Portland
Texas A&M
 
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#3,397
#3,397
Noticeable for sure. I think, imprecise back-to-goal passing by talented goal scorers is fairly common and is often related to a desire to grab a rest when away from goal (i.e. their "main" job). Thomas is sufficiently skilled to always make sharp, precise passes. Possession and precision always matter, whether the ball is in front of the goal or anywhere else on the field. She looks to me as though she has become too nonchalant when she is away from the net. Again, she's way too talented not to impose her will and skill set everywhere she goes on the field. If she's tired, we have the wonderful luxury of being able to rest her with Simmonds. If she's not tired, she should concentrate and make good crisp passes to teammates.

I am at a loss to explain why we have had two seasons of frustration on corner kicks. Corners are all about attitude. Where is this year's French?
 
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#3,398
#3,398
Lurker said:
Noticeable for sure. I think, imprecise back-to-goal passing by talented goal scorers is fairly common and is often related to a desire to grab a rest when away from goal (i.e. their "main" job). Thomas is sufficiently skilled to always make sharp, precise passes. Possession and precision always matter, whether the ball is in front of the goal or anywhere else on the field. She looks to me as though she has become too nonchalant when she is away from the net. Again, she's way too talented not to impose her will and skill set everywhere she goes on the field. If she's tired, we have the wonderful luxury of being able to rest her with Simmonds. If she's not tired, she should concentrate and make good crisp passes to teammates.

I am at a loss to explain why we have had two seasons of frustration on corner kicks. Corners are all about attitude. Where is this year's French?
Click to expand...

Your term for Thomas's passing/play away from the attacking third is PRECISE--she does seem very /nonchalant/. You can't be, because sloppy passes mean lost possession in the midfield area, which is never good. By contrast, watch Simmonds--whom I failed to mention on my positive list (bad oversight): It's a small sample size, but she seems focused about connecting her passes. In addition to being an exceptional athlete, Simmonds has good skills with the ball, and can shoot. Between her, Thomas, Huff and Fusco, we've got four skill players who can score--not to mention George--and yet we continue to struggle to score goals. We should be more than capable of scoring at least 2 goals against all of the teams we've played recently.

RE corner kicks: They are admittedly hard to convert into goals--but we rarely even get a head on the ball, much less score. I'd almost rather see George just move the ball quickly to others when she gets it rather than engage in another of her physical battles with one/two defenders in the hope of earning a corner, if only to lessen the wear-and-tear on her body.
 
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