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

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Reese Mattern goal lifts Tennessee soccer to win over ETSU​

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Jaida Thomas (2) chases after an opponent during a game against East Tennessee State University at Summers-Taylor Stadium. Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024.
Cambree Gliessner / Contributor

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. — Reese Mattern’s first career goal came at a crucial time for Tennessee soccer.

The freshman’s goal pushed the Lady Vols to a 1-0 win over East Tennessee State, their second straight victory.

Tennessee (2-1-0) has defeated both in-state opponents it has played after the win over the Buccaneers (1-2-0). The Lady Vols dominated play, recording 14 shots throughout the game.


Here are some takeaways from the win.

Cagey first half ends scoreless

For the third consecutive game, the Lady Vols left the first half without either team scoring. The Lady Vols recorded seven shots against ETSU, putting three on goal. However, none were able to find their way past ETSU goalkeeper Ashton Blair.

Tennessee did allow some pressure into its own defensive box as the Buccaneers got three shots away. All three shots were blocked by Tennessee defenders. The Lady Vols held the ball for 60% of the period and won five corner kicks compared to ETSU’s two.

Keaton Mitchell recorded two shots on goal in just nine minutes of first-half play. Jenna Stayart also came off the bench and put a shot on target.


Reese Mattern scores opening goal for Tennessee

After 19 minutes of consistent pressure by Tennessee’s attack, Mattern finally put the Lady Vols on the board. Sammi Woods put a dangerous pass into the attacking area, and Mac Midgley found Mattern for the goal.

Mattern’s goal was the first of her Tennessee career in just her third match with the Lady Vols. Woods recorded her first assist for Tennessee after only earning one assist last season at Michigan.

Tennessee defense shines

The Lady Vols only allowed ETSU to take four shots in the match, and Tennessee blocked three of ETSU’s attempts. Tennessee held the ball for the majority of the match and didn’t let the Buccaneers get many high-danger scoring chances.

For the first time this season, the Lady Vols didn’t allow ETSU to put a shot on target. Although she had a role in Tennessee’s defense, Ally Zazzara did not record a save in the game.
 
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Tennessee Posts 1-0 Win Over In-State Foe ETSU​

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JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. - Tennessee women's soccer posted a shutout over ETSU, taking a 1-0 victory over the Buccaneers Thursday night.

Tennessee (2-1-0), who has posted consecutive clean sheets in its past two matches, out-shot the Bucs (1-2-0) 14-to-4 with five of those shots coming on frame.

The Lady Vols posted yet another stellar defensive performance, allowing zero shots on goal from East Tennessee. UT last held an opponent to zero chances on September 10, 2023 against Florida Atlantic.

With the win, Tennessee now improves to 9-0-0 all-time against ETSU.

Freshman forward Reese Mattern provided a spark for the Lady Vols and found the back of the net in the 64th minute for the game winner. Tennessee's duo of Sammi Woods and Mac Midgley assisted on the Charlottesville, Virginia, native's first collegiate goal.

Tennessee and ETSU were level through the first 45 minutes of the match. Keaton Mitchell created a pair of chances in the first half and Jenna Stayart added another, but were unable to convert.

Woods added another shot on frame in the 50th minute to try and get an early second-half goal, but ETSU's Ashton Blair logged her fourth save of the night.

Tennessee's final shot on frame of the night was Mattern's left-footed beauty that sealed the deal for the 1-0 win.

UP NEXT: Tennessee will return home to Regal Stadium and are set to face their third in-state foe of the season, taking on the Lipscomb Bisons at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.
 
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I thought Skyler Miller looked good too. Quick on the ball, and was able to win her 1v1's. Boggs looked solid. UT needs to find a way to be more productive on corners.
 
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I wish Tennessee would develop an app (maybe there is one?) that pushes notifications to my phone an hour before Lady Vols soccer/volleyball games begin so that I remember to watch them. Probably because they're not readily tracked on ESPN or D1 Baseball/Softball, but I just can't get into the schedule of other teams enough to recall that the Lady Vols will be on SECN+.
 
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TrumpedUpVol said:
I wish Tennessee would develop an app (maybe there is one?) that pushes notifications to my phone an hour before Lady Vols soccer/volleyball games begin so that I remember to watch them. Probably because they're not readily tracked on ESPN or D1 Baseball/Softball, but I just can't get into the schedule of other teams enough to recall that the Lady Vols will be on SECN+.
Click to expand...
I have it on my calendar, you can do it for each sport and it’s super easier

2024 Soccer Schedule - University of Tennessee Athletics

The official 2024 Soccer schedule for the University of Tennessee Volunteers
utsports.com utsports.com
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Reese Mattern scores first career goal in Tennessee soccer’s win over ETSU​

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JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. — Reese Mattern joined Tennessee soccer with high expectations.

The freshman forward was a major part of Tennessee’s class of 2024 and was put straight into the starting lineup in Tennessee’s season opener at Indiana. She recorded one shot against the Hoosiers and four in the next game against Chattanooga but was still looking for the first goal of her college career.

She got that goal against East Tennessee State on Thursday.


Mattern found a ball from Mac Midgley inside ETSU’s penalty area and buried it to the goalkeeper’s right, giving the Lady Vols a 1-0 win over the Buccaneers.

“Toward the end of the half, we needed to find the back of the net,” Mattern said. “This whole game, we had a lot of opportunities in the box. So when I had the moment to finish, I took it.”

Tennessee put plenty of pressure on ETSU’s defense, but it couldn’t finish in the first half. The Lady Vols recorded seven shots in the first half but couldn’t find the finish they needed to take the lead.

As minutes ticked by in the second half, Tennessee’s whole team felt the pressure to get a goal. When Mattern had the opportunity, she found Tennessee’s only goal of the match.

“The pressure of finding the back of the net obviously means a lot,” Mattern said. “When we get the opportunities, we need to finish.”

Even with the win, the Lady Vols still need to improve in front of goal. On 14 shots, Tennessee only put five on target, with only Mattern’s shot finding its way into the net.

Despite Tennessee’s effort in working on finishing, that aspect of play didn’t fully translate into success on Thursday.

“It’s a finishing touch,” Tennessee head coach Joe Kirt said. “We spent a lot of time working on it yesterday, just time in front of goal. We’ve got to be able to execute under pressure in these moments.”


Mattern comes into a Tennessee team with 17 new players, including 10 freshmen. She is the only first-year player already trusted with a place in Tennessee’s starting lineup, a testament to her play in preseason and early this season.

The Charlottesville, Virginia native brings a unique skill set to the Lady Vols with speed and finishing on the front line of Tennessee’s attack.

“As a freshman, it’s hard to come in and adjust, and I think Reese has done that really well,” Midgley said. “She’s obviously the fastest person on the team, so it’s nice. She puts a lot of pressure on other people’s back lines. She makes us better at practice and steps up in games when we need her.”

On a team with Jaida Thomas and Kate Runyon, Mattern has made a name for herself as a major part of Tennessee’s forward unit. Kirt trusts her to have a place in his team and attack opponents continuously, eventually leading to opportunities on goal for herself and her teammates.

On Thursday, Kirt’s trust in Mattern paid off.

“She continues to gain confidence in terms of her own movements, the timing of her movements and her connection with the players around her,” Kirt said. “She’s gaining confidence in everything she’s doing, and she’s a goal scorer. So she found a way to do that tonight with getting all that pressure on goal.”

Jenna Chatterton out for season

After an injury in Sunday’s win over Chattanooga, Jenna Chatterton will not return during the 2024 season.

The senior midfielder only featured in three games last season due to injury. This year, she will only feature in two contests before seeing her season end.

“It’s been a tough road back after last year and certainly not the way we wanted this year to go for her,” Kirt said. “She’s a resilient individual. She’s passionate about our team and she makes it about them all the time.”
 
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Tennessee soccer overcomes physicality in gritty win over ETSU​

  • Tyler Edmands, Contributor
  • Aug 23, 2024
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The Lady Vols knew what type of game they were walking into.

A smaller, in-state school that is usually overshadowed by the Power T, East Tennessee State saw this as an opportunity to make a statement. While they didn’t have the resources, nor the pure talent to match Tennessee, the Buccaneers knew they had to find a way to level the playing field and to find a way to get into the Lady Vols' heads.


The Lady Vols (2-1-0) managed to prevail over the Buccaneers (1-2-0) at Summers-Taylor Stadium, 1-0. The game’s only goal came in the 63rdminute from Reese Mattern.

From the opening kickoff, the Buccaneers extended pressure on the Lady Vols. They pressed at every position on the field. The force kept getting to Tennessee, forcing multiple miscommunications and bad passes that were especially evident in the first half of the game. Despite the miscues, Tennessee managed to control the ball most of the game, notably having 11 corner kicks to ETSU’s two. However, the Buccaneers were able to keep the game close until the final horn.

A major component of the game was possessions, and the game was mainly played at midfield with neither team spending much time in the attacking third. ETSU also tried to knock the Lady Vols off their rhythm, sending the ball into the air whenever they were under duress.

“When teams like to launch the ball and just run at us, we need to settle it down and play our game,” midfielder Mac Midgley said. “I think today was just about setting, what are we dictating? What is our team going to be about? I think we did that well.”

Those questions were answered in the second half of the game, Tennessee settled in, took control of the game, and played fundamental soccer en route to the win.


“We had players in position to win first and second balls, and when we were able to do that, we had the lion’s share of the game in the second half,” Tennessee head coach Joe Kirt said. “Credit to winning first and second balls, we knew that coming in and we did a much better job of it in the second half.”

Tennessee tried their best to keep their composure, but the physical aspect of the game was shown on the stat sheet. The Lady Vols’ were issued two yellow cards along with nine fouls, and ETSU matched that, adding two more yellow cards along with an additional nine fouls.

Kirt knew the challenge the Buccaneers were going to present to his team.

“We’re always going to expect the best from our in-state rivals,” Kirt said. “They’re well coached, they’re physical, so we’re not surprised by it at all.”

The turning point came midway through the second half when Mattern knocked one past ETSU goalie Ashton Blair on the assist from Sammi Woods and Midgley.

“A win’s a win,” Mattern said. “We really need to work on scoring more goals. But I think each game is a new way to layer on new things, each game adds up.”

Tennessee’s next challenge comes on Sunday when the Lady Vols host the Lipscomb Bisons in Regal Soccer Stadium.
 
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Interviews after the ETSU game.

www.collegesportslive.com

Watch WSOC | Mac Midgley & Reese Mattern Postgame Media at ETSU (8.22.24) - Stream Women's Soccer Online - Aug. 22 9:53 P.M. ET - SportsLive

Watch WSOC | Mac Midgley & Reese Mattern Postgame Media at ETSU (8.22.24) on Aug. 22 9:53 P.M. ET. SportsLive brings you games and exclusive video coverage for some of the biggest names in prep, college and professional sports.
www.collegesportslive.com www.collegesportslive.com

www.collegesportslive.com

Watch WSOC | Joe Kirt Postgame Media at ETSU (8.22.24) - Stream Women's Soccer Online - Aug. 22 10:02 P.M. ET - SportsLive

Watch WSOC | Joe Kirt Postgame Media at ETSU (8.22.24) on Aug. 22 10:02 P.M. ET. SportsLive brings you games and exclusive video coverage for some of the biggest names in prep, college and professional sports.
www.collegesportslive.com www.collegesportslive.com
 
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MATCH CENTRAL: Tennessee vs. Lipscomb​

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Tennessee women's soccer is set to square off against Lipscomb at 1 p.m. ET Sunday at Regal Stadium.

The Lady Vols are coming of consecutive wins over Chattanooga and ETSU in which they posted a pair of clean sheets.

Freshman forward Reese Mattern led the way for Tennessee against East Tennessee and found the back of the net in the 64th minute for the game-winner. Tennessee's Michigan natives, Sammi Woods and Mac Midgley, assisted on Mattern's first collegiate goal.

SCOUTING THE BISONS: Lipscomb enters Sunday's match with a 1-0-1 record after opening its season with a draw to Evansville and winning 3-0 over Alabama A&M in its second game of the season.

MATCHUP HISTORY: UT holds a 2-0-1 record against the Bisons. Last season, Tennessee picked up a 3-0 road win over Lipscomb.

REESE IS ROLLIN': Mattern has made an early impact in her maiden season so far, notching seven shots with four of them coming on frame while also registering a game-winner against ETSU.

SAMMI THE SPARK: Woods continues to provide a spark for the Lady Vols and has registered a goal, assist and created five chances through three matches.
UP NEXT: Tennessee will return home to Regal Stadium and are set to face their third in-state foe of the season, taking on the Lipscomb Bisons at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.

PROTECTING THE NET: In its match against ETSU, Tennessee allowed zero shots on target and also limited the Bucs to four shots total. Additionally, the Lady Vols gave up only one chance a match prior against UTC.
 
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