Lady Vols Soccer ⚽️ Tennessee @ Virginia Tech 11/15 Friday 7PM Blacksburg VA ⚽️ NCAA TOURNAMENT First Round

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Mississippi State welcomes both Oklahoma and Texas to the SEC, giving each their first ever Loss in the conference.



Thursday
State 2 Oklahoma 0
Today
State 1 Texas 0 (Texas with a draw and a loss have yet to win a game)
 
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IMG_0773.jpeg​

Tennessee soccer earns 2-2 draw at Alabama​

Tennessee soccer and Alabama couldn’t be separated in Tuscaloosa on Sunday, playing to a 2-2 draw.

Despite conceding multiple goals for the first time this season, the Lady Vols (6-1-2, 1-0-1) still earned a point on the road against the Crimson Tide (7-2-2, 0-0-2). Goals from Kennedy Price and Sammi Woods weren’t enough to come away with a second road win of the season.

Here’s how the Lady Vols earned a result against the Crimson Tide.


Early Alabama goal overturned by video review

In the 16th minute, Alabama won a corner kick, threatening to get the opening goal of the match. Sydney Japic headed the set piece into the goal past Ally Zazzara, but Zazzara’s view was blocked by an Alabama player in an offside position, causing the goal to be called back.

Alabama recorded five shots against Tennessee’s defense in the first 20 minutes, but none hit the target. The Crimson Tide finished the first half with 10 shots.

Crimson Tide, Lady Vols exchange goals late in first half

Six minutes before the halftime break, Nedya Sawan opened the scoring for Alabama with a header into the left side of the goal past Zazzara. With no need for video review, the Crimson Tide earned a lead, but it was short-lived.


Two minutes later, Price leveled the score with a strike from outside the box, curling into the bottom right corner of the goal. Sarah Kate Rath was aggressive in the box, making a tackle to force the ball out to Price.

Both sides score quickly after halftime

Tennessee took its first lead of the match six minutes after halftime. Sarah Bridenstine found Woods on a cross-field pass, who finished the chance for her fourth goal of the season.

Less than a minute later, Alabama tied the game again as Gianna Paul scored her eighth goal of the season. For the first time this season, the Lady Vols allowed multiple goals in a match.

Up next for Tennessee

The Lady Vols will head on the road again on Thursday, traveling to Gainesville to take on Florida. The Gators open their conference home slate after a loss at Auburn on Sunday.

In its next match, Tennessee will look to continue its eight-game unbeaten run which extends back to its second encounter of the season.
 
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Tennessee Earns Point on the Road, Ties Alabama 2-2​

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - In its first SEC road contest of the season, the No. 23 Tennessee soccer team picked up a point after tying Alabama 2-2.

Tennessee moves to 6-1-2 on the season and has gone unbeaten for eight consecutive matches now.

Junior Kennedy Price and graduate Sammi Woods found the back of the net for the Lady Vols.
Price's goal was the first of her career. The defender also notched the secondary assist on Woods' goal, marking her first-ever three-point performance.

Nedya Sawan and Gianna Paul were Alabama's (7-2-2) goal-scorers as Lexi Meyer earned an assist on both goals. Additionally, goalkeeper Coralie Lallier registered five saves on the night.
Despite the Crimson Tide outshooting UT 20-to-12, the Lady Vols put seven shots on frame opposed to UA's four.

The first half was a defensive battle before Sawan's header found the back of the net in the 40th minute, putting Bama on the board first.

Price swiftly responded with a goal to level the match 1-1 in the 42nd minute. The Franklin, Tennessee, native was just outside the box and perfectly placed the ball in the back right corner of the net.

Unlike the opening frame, the second half saw early goals for each squad.
Woods registered her team-leading fourth goal of the season in the 51st minute after Price passed to Reese Mattern who then perfectly lofted the ball into the box.

Alabama's equalizer came one minute later when Paul finished in the box.

UT's Luciana Latino and Jaida Thomas both put a pair of shots in frame later in the match but were unable to break through.

UP NEXT: The Lady Vols will head to Florida for a 7 pm ET match on Thursday for its third SEC contest of the season.
 
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MAD said:
I would have thought Tennessee would move up in the rankings, instead they went down a couple spots to 25.

View attachment 680060View attachment 680061
Click to expand...
noticing in women's soccer Top 25
Some teams played 8,9,10,11 games.
Tennessee has played nine ?
Is teams with more on their schedule.chose to play more games? Or did they scheduled more or early events where they got more games to play?
Or does Tennessee have more schedule later in the season?
 
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mudcat1973 said:
noticing in Top 25
Some teams played 8,9,10,11 games.
Tennessee has played nine ?
Is teams with more on their schedule.chose to play more games? Or did they scheduled more or early events where they got more games to play?
Or does Tennessee have more schedule later in the season?
Click to expand...
The Duke match was canceled due to storms unfortunately.
 
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This is a great article from Jack Church of The Daily Beacon.


IMG_0773.jpegSammi Woods, Mac Midgley rekindle friendship through Tennessee soccer​

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Forward Sammi Woods (3), midfielder Mac Midgley (20) and forward Kate Runyon (7) of the Tennessee Lady Volunteers during the game between the Memphis Tigers and the Tennessee Volunteers at Regal Soccer Stadium. Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024.
  • Ryan Beatty / Tennessee Athletics

Sammi Woods and Mac Midgley started their friendship with a win.

Both playing for the Michigan Hawks Soccer Club, Midgley got called up from the U10 team to play on the U11 squad in the State Cup alongside Woods, the most important tournament of the year. The Hawks won that tournament, kicking off the intertwined stories of Woods and Midgley on the pitch.

Three years later, Midgley and Woods played on the same team within the Hawks for the full season, and their friendship fostered from there.


“It didn’t take a lot,” Woods said. “I think we were just very similar in the way we played and the way we approached soccer.”

Both Woods and Midgley play as attacking midfielders and complement each other’s styles. While Woods will create her own chances more often, Midgley excelled at setting up her forwards. The two were a perfect match for each other on the field.

Going separate ways

Woods and Midgley played together all through their childhood until it was time to go to college. Woods chose to stay close to home and attend Michigan, less than 10 miles from her hometown of Saline.

“It was a really nice balance of academics and athletics,” Woods said. “I found a really great group of people and had a great career soccer-wise, so everything worked out well.”

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Sammi Woods (3) looks to pass during a match against Chattanooga at Regal Soccer Stadium. Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024.
Cole Moore / The Daily Beacon

In four seasons with the Wolverines, Woods appeared in 72 matches, starting 48 of them. She scored 24 goals and led Michigan with eight goals in her senior season last year.

While playing college soccer, Woods earned a psychology degree from Michigan. She was an Academic All-Big Ten selection twice and was named a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar in 2023.

Playing for Michigan, Woods helped knock Tennessee out of the 2021 NCAA Tournament with a 3-0 win. Woods scored the third goal in the game, the only time she has scored in the NCAA Tournament.

While Woods was having all of her success, Midgley wasn’t there, still playing club soccer without her teammate and best friend.

“I was a mess,” Midgley said. “I was crying all summer.”

Two years after Woods began her college career in Ann Arbor, Midgley transitioned to the college game. She chose to play for Tennessee and Brian Pensky, who was the head coach during her recruitment.

At Tennessee, support from both the fanbase and the athletic department shows up in more than just football. When Midgley was considering her options, Tennessee’s investment in soccer stood out compared to its peers.

“The support that they have around sports, I mean, nowhere else compares,” Midgley said. “Everyone comes to games. You feel the support.”

Ultimately, Midgley made the decision that was best for her, however hard it may have been to forge her own path. Instead of moving less than 10 miles from her home like Woods, Midgley headed over 500 miles from her home in Wolverine Lake, Michigan to wear orange.

While the opportunity to stay home and rejoin Woods was hard to pass up, it was the right decision.

“A big reason why I wanted to go to Michigan was to play with Sammi and it’s close to home and all that,” Midgley said. “But I decided I wanted to go further and out of state. … It was hard to say ‘no’ and say ‘bye’ to Sammi.”

When Kirt took over as the head coach following Pensky’s departure, Midgley stayed bought into his mission. Kirt continued to build Tennessee’s culture, just as he did as an assistant coach for 15 seasons.


He picked right up from where Pensky left off in that aspect, making sure Tennessee’s players still had strong bonds with one another. Midgley noticed Tennessee’s culture during her freshman season, and it hasn’t wavered since.

“This is the closest team I’ve ever been on,” Midgley said. “It is like a second family, and I think you don’t get that everywhere. … You spend all your time with the soccer girls.”

IMG_0839.jpeg
Mac Midgley (20) controls the ball during a match against Chattanooga at Regal Soccer Stadium. Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024.
Cole Moore / The Daily Beacon

For four seasons, Woods and Midgley played without each other. With Woods getting a fifth year of eligibility due to the shortened 2020 season, the opportunity came for the two to share a field again.

Reuniting in Knoxville

For Woods, being a part of the Lady Vols wasn’t the only factor in coming to Knoxville. As a member of UT’s graduate program in sports psychology, she found a place where her academic needs align with her athletic goals.

Of course, Midgley being involved in the program was a major reason to come to Tennessee. In their everyday conversations, Midgley sold Woods on the benefits of the Lady Vol soccer program.

“We talk every single day,” Woods said. “We keep up with each other. So just from the good things she said, from a soccer and a social standpoint, I was really excited.”

Outside of their friendship, Woods was the type of player the Lady Vols needed. With Jordan Fusco leaving for Penn State, Tennessee needed an attacking midfielder in its line — one who could both run play through her and score herself.

Kirt knew of Woods’ impact on the game, having seen how it contributed to the end of his season in 2021. When he got the chance to talk to Woods, he bought in.

“Mac was our mutual thing that tied us together but that was more just getting to know each other, like who I was, who he was,” Woods said. “I think a lot of what I wanted aligned with what he does here as a coach and as a program. So I did really like that from the get-go.”

Woods’ presence is already paying off for Tennessee. She has scored four goals in her first nine games, including the winner against Ole Miss to open conference play.

Midgley is also enjoying a strong start to the season. She has scored two goals, scoring the only goal in a 1-0 win over Memphis, Tennessee’s best win of Kirt’s tenure as head coach.

As Woods is still building into Tennessee’s system, her relationship with Midgley has helped her find her place.

“They both see the game similarly,” Kirt said. “I think Sammi getting more and more familiar within our system and how she can find the ball and get on the ball without losing her identity as a player. … I think all that helps make it a relatively seamless partnership for them on the field.”

Through Tennessee’s non-conference slate, Woods continued her development as a player within the Lady Vols structure. Now with conference play underway, Woods has fully acclimated to Tennessee’s system alongside several other transfers such as Sarah Bridenstine, who also came from Michigan.

When Woods and Midgley started their time playing together, they won their first tournament. In possibly their last season doing so, the pair are eyeing an SEC Tournament win, something Tennessee hasn’t done since the season before Midgley got to Knoxville.

“I’m just so focused on team goals right now and team wins,” Midgley said. “What do we need to do collectively? That trumps everything.”


Jack Church​

Spring '24 Assistant Sports Editor
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