⚽️Lady Vols Soccer Thread

#5,130
#5,130
Tough hill to climb for Bunny Shaw and Kameron Simmonds tonight. Match is at 7pm.

Canada and Jamaica will square off for a spot in the 2024 Paris Olympic on Tuesday. Canada hold a two-goal aggregate in the series after they defeated Jamaica, 2-0, in the first leg. The Reggae Girlz hosted the first game but were unable to capitalize on home-field advantage and now need to dig deep to clinch the final Concacaf Olympic spot. The winner of the two-leg series will also clinch a spot in the upcoming 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup.
 
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#5,133
#5,133
A data-heavy look at current D1 socer RPI, from a man named CP Thomas who's quite an expert on the topic and has actually made suggestions to the NCAA as to how it might improve its RPI calculations. (As far as he knows, the NCAA has not yet adopted or accepted any of his ideas.) Thomas notes that 40 percent of a team's RPI derives from OPW, which is the winning percentage of the teams you have played.

The upshot is that playing what might seem a weak(er) non-conference team might help your RPI if, in fact, that team compiles a good record in /its/ conference and against the non-conference teams that it plays. Of course it could work the other way as well: If your non-conference opponent is simply not a good team and has a lousy record, your RPI will suffer. We played and beat East Tennessee State, for example, and while one might think playing ETSU is not going to help our RPI, ETSU is 5-1-4 so far this season--only 1 loss in 10 matches. That is a good winning percentage that in fact must be helping our RPI--and as Thomas as noted, playing non-conference teams that have a chance to place at or near the top of their conferences can be a good RPI strategy. Thomas is sure that some teams (could be many teams) have RPI scheduling strategies. We could be one of them.

RPI and Bracketology for D1 Women's Soccer Blogspace

rpiford1wsoccer.blogspot.com rpiford1wsoccer.blogspot.com
 
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#5,134
#5,134
turbovol said:
A data-heavy look at current D1 socer RPI, from a man named CP Thomas who's quite an expert on the topic and has actually made suggestions to the NCAA as to how it might improve its RPI calculations. (As far as he knows, the NCAA has not yet adopted or accepted any of his ideas.) Thomas notes that 40 percent of a team's RPI derives from OPW, which is the winning percentage of the teams you have played.

The upshot is that playing what might seem a weak(er) non-conference team might help your RPI if, in fact, that team compiles a good record in /its/ conference and against the non-conference teams that it plays. Of course it could work the other way as well: If your non-conference opponent is simply not a good team and has a lousy record, your RPI will suffer. We played and beat East Tennessee State, for example, and while one might think playing ETSU is not going to help our RPI, ETSU is 5-1-4 so far this season--only 1 loss in 10 matches. That is a good winning percentage that in fact must be helping our RPI--and as Thomas as noted, playing non-conference teams that have a chance to place at or near the top of their conferences can be a good RPI strategy. Thomas is sure that some teams (could be many teams) have RPI scheduling strategies. We could be one of them.

RPI and Bracketology for D1 Women's Soccer Blogspace

rpiford1wsoccer.blogspot.com rpiford1wsoccer.blogspot.com
Click to expand...
Fine print….whew. Vols are #15, same as RPI at the ncaa site. Not gonna try to compare remainder of list. Trying to stay sane.
 
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#5,140
#5,140

Former UT soccer player debuts with U.S. national team​

Maria M. CorneliusSeptember 27, 20232MCsports

M.A.-Vignola-Tennessee-Athletics-min-943x530.jpg


M.A. Vignola, center, celebrates with her teammates. (Tennessee Athletics)
M.A. Vignola made Tennessee soccer history last week in her hometown of Cincinnati and became the first Lady Vol to ever take the field for the U.S. Women’s National Team. She did so after overcoming a serious hip injury that kept her sidelined and on crutches for months.
In soccer parlance Vignola earned a cap, which refers to a player’s appearance for her national team at the international level. Other Tennessee players who have earned caps on their national teams include Hannah Wilkinson with New Zealand; Michelle Alozie with Nigeria; and Khadija “Bunny” Shaw and Kameron Simmonds with Jamaica. Vignola is the first to do so for the United States, so a tip of the cap to all of them.
It used to mean a literal cap was given to a player, a practice that originated in England, to commemorate the milestone, but that tradition ended. The name has remained.
“It’s exciting for her, and it’s exciting for our program,” Tennessee soccer coach Joe Kirt said. “To have this opportunity at home is so exciting for her. I’m proud of her for the player and person that she’s become.”
M.A.-Vignola-head-shot-USA.jpg

M.A. Vignola’s U.S. National Team photo
Vignola played the entire second half of a match against South Africa on Sept. 21 for an international friendly that the United States won, 3-0. The teams played again on Sept. 24 in Chicago – a match made memorable as it was U.S. national team stalwart Megan Rapinoe’s 203rd and final international match – for a 2-0 win.
Vignola played at Tennessee from 2016-19 and earned All-SEC First Team honors in 2019. She appeared in 59 games with 11 assists and 15 goals, four of which were game winners.
As a junior she was part of Tennessee’s historic run to the NCAA Quarterfinals in 2018 and played a pivotal role for a defense that limited opponents to a program-best 15 goals. As a senior, she averaged 83 minutes per match and tallied nine goals and five assists.
After college, the defender played professionally for Thróttur Reykjavík and Valur in Iceland and now plays in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) for Angel City FC in Los Angeles, a team in which former Lady Vol basketball player Candace Parker is an investor.
“M.A. has been through a lot and to see her come out of it and to get the chance to represent her country is really special,” Kirt said. “Her journey hasn’t always been a straight line, but she’s continued to excel and manage whatever comes her way.”
M.A.-Vignola-Angel-City-min-1024x682.jpg

M.A. Vignola takes the field with Angel City in Los Angeles (Angel City)
Vignola had to overcome a debilitating injury to take the field for Angel City after playing a full season for Valur with a torn hip labrum. A hip injury is difficult for any athlete, but a soccer player sprints for long stints and must make sharp cuts and pivots at full speed in what can be a contact sport. The labrum is essentially a seal that helps align the ball at the top of the thighbone with the hip socket.
“I was in horrible pain the entire season,” Vignola said in THIS STORY. “I could get through, like, 25 minutes, and then I’d take a step a little bit wrong and I’d be in pain.”
Angel City signed her to an NWSL contract in late 2021, and Vignola played in preseason early in 2022, but the intense pain persisted, so Angel City focused on her health and rehab. She returned to the field in September 2022 when Angel City hosted Mexico in the inaugural Copa Angelina and then became a significant contributor on defense for Angel City in the 2023 NWSL season.
That led to Vignola’s national team debut after a year of dealing with pain on the pitch and then being forced off of it because of injury and feeling disconnected from a sport she had played since she was a little kid in Ohio.
“It’s always a battle,” Vignola said. “It’s always a battle with yourself and your mentality, and if you’re willing to keep going.”
 
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#5,144
#5,144
orange beard said:
Watched FSU and top ranked North Caroling. Great match and NC scored a tying goal with one second on the clock. Still love Taylor Huff!
Click to expand...

It was FSU that scored the equalizing goal with 1 second left. But, yea, an exciting match.

I wonder if Simmonds will make the trip to Starkville for the Miss. State game. I think Jamaica's international break ended with the Canada game a couple of days ago, and so she may be back in KTown. Typically, somebody just back from international duty tends
to need rest and so won't start training/playing with their college or club team for a couple of days or more. I remember a few years ago Bunny Shaw returned from international duty and came in the second half of a Vol home game soon after returning to campus. It would be great if Simmonds feels good enough to travel and play even limited minutes--we need her. I'd say the odds are that she won't play, but maybe we'll get a pleasant surprise.
 
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#5,145
#5,145
turbovol said:
It was FSU that scored the equalizing goal with 1 second left. But, yea, an exciting match.

I wonder if Simmonds will make the trip to Starkville for the Miss. State game. I think Jamaica's international break ended with the Canada game a couple of days ago, and so she may be back in KTown. Typically, somebody just back from international duty tends
to need rest and so won't start training/playing with their college or club team for a couple of days or more. I remember a few years ago Bunny Shaw returned from international duty and came in the second half of a Vol home game soon after returning to campus. It would be great if Simmonds feels good enough to travel and play even limited minutes--we need her. I'd say the odds are that she won't play, but maybe we'll get a pleasant surprise.
Click to expand...
Sorry Turbo i had a brain fart with the last goal for FSU!
 
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#5,149
#5,149

MATCH CENTRAL: Tennessee at Mississippi State​


IMG_4021.jpeg

The Lady Vols will play a second straight game on the road, traveling to Mississippi State for an 8:30 p.m. ET matchup on Friday.

Tennessee (6-2-2, 1-1-1 SEC) enters the contest having played No. 7 South Carolina to a 1-1 draw in Columbia on Sunday. The teams were evenly matched with UT taking 16 shots and putting five on frame, while the Gamecocks managed 19 shots with six on goal. Freshman Kate Runyon started in place of sophomore Kameron Simmonds, who was on national team duty with Jamaica, and netted her third goal of the season in the 76th minute.

The Bulldogs (6-3-2, 1-2-0 SEC) are riding a two-game losing streak, having suffered a 1-2 loss at LSU and a 0-1 defeat to Texas A&M at home.
THE LAST TIME WE MET: The 10th-ranked Lady Vols took a 2-1 victory over MSU in Regal Stadium on Oct. 15, 2021. Freshman Claire Rain and junior Claudia Dipasupil found the net for Tennessee. In goal, junior Lindsey Romig made four saves on the day.

VS THE BULLDOGS: Tennessee's all-time record against MSU is 17-2-2. When playing in Starkville, UT owns an 8-1-2 advantage.

SCOUTING MSU: Mississippi State was picked to finish ninth in the SEC as voted on by the league's coaches. Maggie Wadsworth, who was the Bulldog's leading scorer with eight goals as a freshman in 2022, has tallied two thus far as a sophomore. Last season, MSU went 12-6-4 overall and 4-4-2 in SEC play.

FRESHMAN ON FIRE: Reigning SEC Freshman of the Week Kate Runyon has tallied goals in UT's last two contests to move into a tie with graduate Sizzy Lawton for second on the team scoring (3) and total points (7).
IF THE SEASON ENDED TODAY: Simmonds, who has tallied a team-leading six goals and two assists thus far in her sophomore campaign, would rank third in single-season program records for points per game (1.75) and fourth in goals per game (.75).

THOMAS IN THE RECORD BOOK: Before suffering a season-ending injury, redshirt-senior Jaida Thomas moved her career total to 39 goals to trail UT's leading career scorer, Kylie Rossi, by just four goals. Thomas amassed her 39 goals in just 59 games for a goals-per-game average of .66 to rank third all-time at Tennessee behind only Bunny Shaw (0.77) and Allison Campbell (0.70).

IN THEIR OFFENSIVE THIRD: On the season, UT has out-shot opponents 184-72 and taken 89 corner kicks while limiting the opposition to just 24. Tennessee currently ties for second in Division I in corner kicks per game (8.8) and ranks 17th in shots per game (18.4).

EVERYONE IS DANGEROUS: UT's 22 goals thus far have been scored by 10 different players. Freshmen Sarah Greiner, Kate Runyon (3) and Keaton Mitchell, sophomore Kameron Simmonds (6), juniors Jordan Fusco (2) and Nolyn Bartholomew, redshirt-seniors Maria Nelson (2) and Jaida Thomas, senior Lawson Renie and graduate Sizzy Lawton (3) have all found the back of the net for the Big Orange. An own goal by ETSU rounds out the total.

FRESHMEN CONTRIBUTING: All four of UT's active freshmen have recorded at least one goal or assist on the season. Forward Kate Runyon has made five starts, logging three goals and an assist. Fellow rookies Keaton Mitchell and Sarah Greinerhave both tallied goals, and Linette Hofmann has started eight contests, recording an assist in the season opener against Cal.

NEW FACES: Tennessee added 10 newcomers in its 2023 signing class. All 10 are versatile field players with six enrolling as freshmen and four arriving as transfers with multiple years of collegiate experience.

BACK AGAIN: The Lady Vols return five starters and 20 letterwinners from the 2022 team that clinched an SEC East Division title for the third straight season.

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Redshirt senior Jaida Thomas, senior Lawson Renie, juniors Sheridan Michel and Jordan Fusco, and sophomore Kameron Simmonds were all named to the SEC Preseason Watch List.

UP NEXT: Tennessee will return home to host Kentucky at 7 p.m. on Thursday in Regal Stadium.
 
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