Tennessee Soccer Comes Up Short In Hard-Fought Overtime Loss Against #1/2 Mississippi State
PENSACOLA, Fla. - Tennessee put up a gritty, hard-fought performance in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals but came up just short in the final play against Mississippi State, losing 2-1.
Both squads were tied 1-1 through 90 minutes of regulation, but the Bulldogs were able to pull away in the second overtime period in walk-off fashion.
Tennessee (9-6-4) posted 15 shots and 10 corner kicks as State (17-1-0) notched 16 shots and five corners.
Reese Mattern,
Mac Midgley and
Jaida Thomas each created a chance for the Lady Vols.
It was a scoreless game through 42 minutes of action before State's Hannah Johnson sent one in that banked from the post into the net.
UT was down 1-0 at the break but continued to fight and create chances before finally breaking through in the 75th minute after a corner kick found
Ally Brown in the box and then deflected off a Mississippi State defender for a Tennessee goal.
The Lady Vols applied pressure in the second half, putting up eight shots.
Defensively, the Big Orange held the Bulldogs to just two second-half shots and zero corner kicks.
During the first 10-minute overtime period, both teams continued their defensive battle and kept the match level.
The beginning of the second-overtime was all Mississippi State would need as Hannah Johnson dished far in the box to Aitana Martinez-Montoya who had a sliding kick in to secure the win in the 101st minute.
UP NEXT: The Lady Vols return to Knoxville and await the results of the NCAA Tournament Selection Show on Monday, Nov. 11.