Simmonds Brace Leads UT To 3-1 Win Over ETSU
Box Score KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Sophomore
Kameron Simmonds netted the second brace of her career as Tennessee improved to 3-0 on the season, taking a 3-1 victory over ETSU in Regal Stadium on Thursday.
In addition to Simmonds' pair of goals, UT got a third as a result of a Buccaneers (1-1-1) own goal. Graduate
Nayeli Diaz and redshirt-senior
Giselle Washington earned assists on the night.
Redshirt-freshman
Abby Reisz and redshirt-sophomore
Ally Zazzara split time in the net, with Reisz earning the start and making one save, and Zazzara logging one save and one goal allowed.
Sinoxolo Cesane was the goal-scorer for ETSU. The Bucs keeper, Knoxville-native Ashton Blair, stayed busy, making 10 saves on the night.
The Lady Vols dominated possession early, getting off nine shots, five of which were on frame in the opening 15 minutes.
Simmonds put UT on the board in the 20th minute, running onto a cross from Diaz and one-touching it past the keeper from eight yards out.
The Big Orange peppered the ETSU goal with 17 first-half shots, forcing Blair into eight saves, but the score remained 1-0 through the break.
ETSU leveled the score in the 57th minute when Cesane hammered a ball into the back of the net.
Fusco weaved through the Buccaneers' defense 90 seconds later, ripping a blast from 20 yards out, but it sailed just high of the crossbar.
The Lady Vols went back up by one in the 62nd minute when freshman
Kate Runyon sent a well-placed cross into the box, and an attempt to clear it over the endline resulted in an own goal for ETSU.
Simmonds struck again in the 72nd minute, chasing down a serve from Washington and taking a touch before beating the keeper far post.
The Lady Vols got a chance to make it four in the closing minutes when Fusco bent a ball around the Bucs wall on a free kick, but Blair made the diving save to maintain the two-goal deficit through the final whistle.
UP NEXT: Tennessee will head back out on the road, traveling to Dallas for an 8 p.m. ET matchup against SMU on Sunday.
SIMMONDS ON FIRE: With a brace against ETSU, Simmonds moves her goal count to a team-leading four on the season. She has scored those goals on eight shots, all of which have been on frame for a perfect shot-on-goal percentage.
FIRST STARTS: Junior
Jenna Chatterton and redshirt-freshman Abigail Reisz made their first collegiate starts against the Buccaneers, while graduate transfers
Samantha Agresti and
Nayeli Diaz made their first starts as Lady Vols.