MATCH CENTRAL: Tennessee vs. #7/T9 UCLA
Tennessee soccer returns home to Regal Stadium and is set to take on No. 7/T9 UCLA in a 7 p.m. ET contest on Thursday.
UT's last soccer match against Duke was canceled due to inclement weather, however, the Big Orange (3-1-0) are coming off three consecutive wins, shutting out each opponent and allowing just three shots on frame in total.
The Lady Vols most recent completed match was a 3-0 win over the Lipscomb that saw
Kate Runyon and
Ally Brown find the back of the net.
Runyon's goal, which was her first of the season, came in the 28th minute and was assisted by
Jaida Thomas and
Luciana Latino, who both registered their first points of the year.
Brown's goal, which was a header from a corner via
Sarah Bridenstine, was the first of her collegiate career.
SCOUTING THE BRUINS: UCLA returns seven starters from last season's conference championship team and seven all-conference players in Defensive Player of the Year Lilly Reale, Quincy McMahon, So! a Cook, Ayo Oke, Jayden Perry, Sunshine Fontes and Lexi Wright. Additionally, Val Vargas earned all-freshman honors a year ago. Wright, however, is out for the year with a knee injury. The Bruins enter Thursday's match with a 5-1-0 record, with their lone loss coming against Pepperdine.
LET'S GO REESE: Tennessee forward
Reese Mattern was named SEC Freshman of the Week for her performance against East Tennessee. The Charlottesville, Virginia, native provided a spark for the Lady Vols during their match against ETSU and found the back of the net in the 64th minute for the game winner.
CHASIN' RECORDS: Thomas, who is in her final season on Rocky Top, currently ranks second on Tennessee's all-time goals list with 39 and sits just four back of Kylee Rossi's program-best 43. The three time All-SEC player and 2021 All-American appeared in just two matches last season before suffering a season-ending injury. During the 2022 season, Thomas scored 13 goals and posted the best goals-per-game average in the SEC at .68
KEEPIN' IT CLEAN: Following their win over Lipscomb, the Lady Vols have now posted three consecutive clean sheets and given up just three shots on frame in the last three contests.
UP NEXT: The Lady Vols will continue their four-game homestand with a 2 p.m. ET Sunday match versus Florida Atlantic.