Sarah Greiner goal sends Tennessee soccer to SEC Tournament
- Tyler Edmands, Contributor
Tennessee soccer secured a spot in the SEC Tournament, defeating Florida 1-0 in a must-win match on Wednesday night.
Heading into the match, the Lady Vols (8-5-4, 3-4-3 SEC) sat just outside the cutoff for tournament qualification, making this a crucial game.
With the win over the Gators (4-8-6, 1-7-2), Tennessee advances to the SEC Tournament and will have the ninth seed. The Lady Vols will face Kentucky in the first round next week after playing the Wildcats on Sunday.
Here’s a look at how Tennessee ended its winless streak and clinched a berth.
Tennessee snaps its winless streak
Wednesday’s win marks the Lady Vols’ first in almost a month. Their last win came over Missouri on Oct. 4th, which was also decided by a 1-0 result.
In the five games since that night, the Lady Vols were 0-4-1 and were outscored 15-3.
The Lady Vols rose to the occasion with their backs against the wall in Gainesville, totaling five shots on goal on their 10 shots. They controlled the pace offensively and were able to keep the Gators off the attack for most of the game.
Florida tallied seven shots in their final game of the season, as it had been mathematically eliminated before the game kicked off. Only one of those seven shots were on goal, and goalie Cayden Norris saved it.
Norris earns a clean sheet in her first start
In an unexpected twist, freshman goalkeeper Norris got her first start of the season over veteran Ally Zazzara. Before this match, Norris had only logged action in two games, against Lipscomb and Kentucky — which both came late in the game.
The Johnson City native remained untested for most of the game. She logged a save on Florida’s lone shot on goal of the night en route to posting a clean sheet.
Sarah Greiner gets Tennessee rolling
In a game where goal-scoring opportunities were few and far between, Greiner delivered. She netted the lone goal of the game in the 42nd minute, which was the Lady Vols’ first first-half goal in the last three games.
The goal began with the Lady Vols’ first corner kick of the night. After a good service, the ball eventually fell to the ground and was then poked by Nyla Blue. Greiner was in the perfect place and launched the ball toward the net. It was deflected by a Florida defender and snuck past goalie Alexa Goldberg for the only goal of the night.
This would be a significant milestone for Greiner, who hadn’t found the back of the net all season. Not only would this be her first goal of the season, but it would also be her first game-winner and second goal of her collegiate career.
Up next
The win over Florida propels Tennessee into the ninth seed in the SEC Tournament, which will kick off next week. The Lady Vols will face the Kentucky Wildcats in the first round, who they lost 4-0 on Sunday.
Tennessee will need a strong showing in the SEC Tournament to climb the RPI and secure a berth in the NCAA Tournament.