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

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MATCH CENTRAL: Tennessee vs. #11 Arkansas​


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Tennessee will open SEC play at home, welcoming No. 11 Arkansas to Regal Stadium for a 7 p.m. ET tilt on Friday.

The Lady Vols (5-1-1) enter the match on the heels of a 2-0 victory over FAU on Sunday. First-half goals by juniors Nolyn Bartholomew and Jordan Fusco fueled the Tennessee victory. Sophomores Ally Brown and Kameron Simmonds earned assists on the day. The UT defense was stout, holding FAU (3-3-2) without a shot until the 75th minute. The game went into a weather delay in the 76th minute that extended beyond the time limit for resuming play, so the 2-0 score stood as final.

The Razorbacks (3-2-1) are looking to bounce back after back-to-back losses. UA was in action most recently at #9 Clemson, falling 1-0 last Thursday. The Sunday prior to that, Arkansas suffered a 3-1 loss at #4 UNC.

Admission is free for all preseason and regular-season soccer matches. For fans planning to attend, note that Tennessee's clear bag policy will be in effect again this season.

GAME PROMOTIONS:

  • $1 Hot Dog Night
  • Hispanic Heritage Night
  • Food Trucks: Enjoy Latin and Irvey's Ice Cream
  • Thunderstick giveaway (first 750 fans)
  • Hispanic Heritage shirts (first 250 fans)
THE LAST TIME WE MET: The Lady Vols and the Razorbacks last met in the 2021 SEC Championship game in Orange Beach, Ala., when UT took a 3-0 victory to claim its first SEC Championship since 2008.

VS THE RAZORBACKS: Tennessee owns a 14-6-1 advantage in the series against Arkansas and a 6-4-0 mark when playing in Regal Stadium.

SCOUTING UA: The Razorbacks were picked to finish first in the SEC as voted on by the league's coaches. They return eight starters and four All-SEC nominees from a 2022 squad that posted a 13-4-5 record en route to an NCAA Quarterfinals appearance. Graduates Bea Franklin and Anna Podojil, seniors Kiley Dulaney, Ellie Podojil and Ava Tankersley and sophomore Makenzie Malham were each named players to watch this season.

SIMMONDS BY THE NUMBERS: Sophomore Kameron Simmonds, who leads the team in goals with six on the season, has tallied assists in the last two contests. With 14 points on this year, she leads the SEC in points per game (2.00), and her six goals ties for first in the conference with Jordyn Rhodes of Kentucky and Catherine Barry of South Carolina. Nationally, she tie for 19th in points per game and ranks 24th in goals per game.

IF THE SEASON ENDED TODAY: Simmonds would rank second in single-season program records for goals per game (.86) and third in points per game (2.00).

TRACKING THOMAS: Scoring her first goal of the season against the Hoosiers, Thomas moved her career goals scored to 39, pulling within four of tying Kylee Rossi at No. 1 in program history.

CREATING CHANCES: The Lady Vols outshot the Owls 12-1 and took seven corners to their one. Through the last five contests, UT has out-shot opponents 107-24 and taken 45 corner kicks while limiting the opposition to just seven.

EVERYONE IS DANGEROUS: UT's 18 goals thus far have been scored by nine different players. Freshmen Sarah Greiner, Kate Runyon and Keaton Mitchell, sophomore Kameron Simmonds (6), juniors Jordan Fusco (2) and Nolyn Bartholomew, redshirt-seniors Maria Nelson (2) and Jaida Thomas, and graduate Sizzy Lawton (2) have all found the back of the net for the Big Orange. An own goal by ETSU rounds out the total.

FRESHMEN FINDING THEIR GROOVE: In the Lady Vols' first two contests, all four of UT's active freshmen recorded a goal or assist. Forwards Kate Runyon and Sarah Greiner each logged goals, and defender Linette Hofmann tallied an assist in the season opener against Cal, while midfielder Keaton Mitchell put her name on the scorecard with a goal at Lipscomb.

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 remain at home, hosting Florida in a 7 p.m. ET contest on Thursday.
 
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Tennessee soccer returns home to open SEC play against Arkansas​


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After a successful nonconference campaign, Tennessee soccer moves into the SEC schedule with a home meeting against No. 11 Arkansas.

The Lady Vols (5-1-1) look to carry momentum from their strong start, while the Razorbacks (3-2-1) will try to bounce back from two straight defeats.

The Tennessee defense has allowed just nine shots in its last three games while only conceding three goals. Key additions, such as Oklahoma transfer Sheridan Michel and freshman Linette Hofmann have joined veterans within the Tennessee roster to create a strong back line.

For the Lady Vols, defending starts from the front and requires effort from everyone on the field.

“That speaks to our team’s intent to be relentless in our defending,” Lady Vols head coach Joe Kirt said. “It starts with our front five and takes all 11 of us to be good in that phase of the game.”

Although the challenges will get stronger in conference play, the Lady Vols will have more time to gel and work together. Because connection between teammates is so valuable in Kirt’s system, more time in training and match situations is especially valuable.

“We have some talented forwards and front lines in our league that we have to manage,” Kirt said. “If we can keep teams to under 10 shots a game, that’s a good number.”

For Tennessee to be successful in SEC games, its goalkeepers will have to continue to play well. Ally Zazzara and Abby Reisz have split time throughout all seven nonconference games and have combined to allow seven goals in seven games.

Even though neither goalkeeper faced a shot on target in Sunday’s win over Florida Atlantic, the two goalkeepers are still improving.

“They have continued to grow in their support in possession and their decision-making there,” Kirt said. “That’s a big part of helping our build.”
At the other end of the pitch, Jaida Thomas is expected to be out with injury again against Arkansas. In her absence, Kameron Simmonds has moved to a more central role, where she has thrived as well.

“Kameron has been holding the ball up in possession and done a really great job bringing others into the game,” Kirt said. “She’s a threat in behind running at teams as well.”

With Thomas still out for the foreseeable future, the Lady Vols will have to improve in their overall finishing. The team did improve in this area, putting 10 of its 12 shots on goal against Florida Atlantic on Sunday. On the season, less than half of Tennessee’s shots have been on goal.

Tennessee’s chance creation has been strong, as the Lady Vols averaged over 19 shots per game in the nonconference schedule. As their accuracy improves, the created opportunities become more important.

“Throughout the nonconference portion, we have left some goals out there but not for a situation we didn’t create,” Kirt said.

Arkansas has troubled opposing defenses so far this season, averaging three goals per game. Morgan White leads the team with four goals, but eleven different players have scored for the team, proving that everyone presents a threat.

Stylistically, the Razorbacks will play aggressively, trying to create chances in good areas.

“They want to get the ball in the box, and they will do that every opportunity,” Kirt said. “They’re physical and determined and want to make it difficult.”

In order to succeed, the Lady Vols will need to be strong in front of goal while also being able to punish the aggression of Arkansas.
 
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jeebie said:
Vanderbilt definitely looked like the most superior team in the tournament. They have some awesome players. Just took them a while to get going game wise this season. And no, I am not a Vandy fan. I am all Big Orange.
Click to expand...
IYKYK 🤣
 
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