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

[MAD]

Even more trouble awaits as I believe that Simmonds is leaving for Jamaican national-team duty within days--and the international window is usually, I think, at least 2 weeks. Not sure when exactly it starts, but very soon.

I believe she will be back early October.

 

[turbovol]

Once again we see Vol defenders who are too slow reacting to plays, not quick enough, not aware enough, caught flat-footed.

First Arky goal: Nelson at far post could have headed the corner ball away--it came right at her. Instead, she stood and did nothing, leaving the keeper
to slide over and punch the ball away--but not far enough away. Just lazy defending.

Second Arky goal: defensive mid drops too deep, not in a position to challenge ball and doesn't even attempt to, leaving her to make an easy cross into the box and two Vol defenders can't clear the pass.

Third Arky goa: Renie and Brown again caught flat-footed and slow. Renie has slow feet, she's not quick, and she's struggled this year. Brown, too. Without Simmonds, things not looking good.

 

[Knoxvol14]

Once again we see Vol defenders who are too slow reacting to plays, not quick enough, not aware enough, caught flat-footed.

First Arky goal: Nelson at far post could have headed the corner ball away--it came right at her. Instead, she stood and did nothing, leaving the keeper
to slide over and punch the ball away--but not far enough away. Just lazy defending.

Second Arky goal: defensive mid drops too deep, not in a position to challenge ball and doesn't even attempt to, leaving her to make an easy cross into the box and two Vol defenders can't clear the pass.

Third Arky goa: Renie and Brown again caught flat-footed and slow. Renie has slow feet, she's not quick, and she's struggled this year. Brown, too. Without Simmonds, things not looking good.

If we could defend on the outside, this team could ne decent. Our defense is our glaring problem though I think Sheridan Michel has been a nice add. We need to try some others on the outside.

 

[MAD]

Congrats to MA Vignola

 

[turbovol]

If we could defend on the outside, this team could ne decent. Our defense is our glaring problem though I think Sheridan Michel has been a nice add. We need to try some others on the outside.

Who exactly do you think is struggling on the outside?

 

[Knoxvol14]

I'm not one for calling out names but Nelson and Hennessy. That side was vulnerable the entire game.

 

[turbovol]

I'm not one for calling out names but Nelson and Hennessy. That side was vulnerable the entire game.

Yea, just not enough quality (athletic and more) among our defenders. Michel is our best defender--a transfer. Speaks volumes.

 

[MAD]

LVFL Danielle Marcano scoring the first goal in a 4-0 win.

 

[turbovol]

One thing I'd be doing is playing Eskin more at outside back. She's not big but she's got more pace and more offensive potential than either Nelson or Hennessey. She was actually quite effective in a substitute role two years ago but has seen her minutes nearly disappear since Kirt took over--but Kirt does not impress me as an evaluator of talent.

 

[Knoxvol14]

Yea, just not enough quality (athletic and more) among our defenders. Michel is our best defender--a transfer. Speaks volumes.

Michel is legit. We just need more high level defenders like her

 

[turbovol]

We do a lot of good things, we've got some good players, but we lack the athletic dynamism that you'd like at certain positions---and we just don't make enough winning plays--or even try, in some cases. I've just watched the first four minutes of the game: Michel intercepts a Arkansas pass in our defensive half and instead of trying to advance the ball, get it forward--which is really what you want to do against a team like Arkansas or really any opponent that presses aggressively, she back-passes to our keeper, who is immediately put under pressure by a quick Arkansas forward, and suddenly we are scrambling defensively near our own goal. Nothing came of it--but it was just a bad decision by Michel and precisely the sort that gets us in trouble.

A minute/minute and a half later, Lawton retrieves a loose ball in our attacking half, sends a nice pass across the pitch to Hofmann, in a good position on the right. Hofmann arrows a pass for Simmonds making a run on the right side of the Arkansas box. Simmonds is closely marked but uses her body well to control the ball and then makes a nifty centering pass that rolls across the 6-yard box....and...and....and there isn't a Vol anywhere close to the box or the ball, and so the nice little sequence comes to nothing. Both Midgley and Fusco were positioned well enough to go barrelling at goal when seeing the pass to Simmonds---but instead both kind of ease up and watch Simmonds. SOMEBODY should have been running full bore at the Arkansas goal--but nobody did so.

 

[turbovol]

We do a lot of good things, we've got some good players, but we lack the athletic dynamism that you'd like at certain positions---and we just don't make enough winning plays--or even try, in some cases. I've just watched the first four minutes of the game: Michel intercepts a Arkansas pass in our defensive half and instead of trying to advance the ball, get it forward--which is really what you want to do against a team like Arkansas or really any opponent that presses aggressively, she back-passes to our keeper, who is immediately put under pressure by a quick Arkansas forward, and suddenly we are scrambling defensively near our own goal. Nothing came of it--but it was just a bad decision by Michel and precisely the sort that gets us in trouble.

A minute/minute and a half later, Lawton retrieves a loose ball in our attacking half, sends a nice pass across the pitch to Hofmann, in a good position on the right. Hofmann arrows a pass for Simmonds making a run on the right side of the Arkansas box. Simmonds is closely marked but uses her body well to control the ball and then makes a nifty centering pass that rolls across the 6-yard box....and...and....and there isn't a Vol anywhere close to the box or the ball, and so the nice little sequence comes to nothing. Both Midgley and Fusco were positioned well enough to go barrelling at goal when seeing the pass to Simmonds---but instead both kind of ease up and watch Simmonds. SOMEBODY should have been running full bore at the Arkansas goal--but nobody did so.

 

[Knoxvol14]

We do a lot of good things, we've got some good players, but we lack the athletic dynamism that you'd like at certain positions---and we just don't make enough winning plays--or even try, in some cases. I've just watched the first four minutes of the game: Michel intercepts a Arkansas pass in our defensive half and instead of trying to advance the ball, get it forward--which is really what you want to do against a team like Arkansas or really any opponent that presses aggressively, she back-passes to our keeper, who is immediately put under pressure by a quick Arkansas forward, and suddenly we are scrambling defensively near our own goal. Nothing came of it--but it was just a bad decision by Michel and precisely the sort that gets us in trouble.

A minute/minute and a half later, Lawton retrieves a loose ball in our attacking half, sends a nice pass across the pitch to Hofmann, in a good position on the right. Hofmann arrows a pass for Simmonds making a run on the right side of the Arkansas box. Simmonds is closely marked but uses her body well to control the ball and then makes a nifty centering pass that rolls across the 6-yard box....and...and....and there isn't a Vol anywhere close to the box or the ball, and so the nice little sequence comes to nothing. Both Midgley and Fusco were positioned well enough to go barrelling at goal when seeing the pass to Simmonds---but instead both kind of ease up and watch Simmonds. SOMEBODY should have been running full bore at the Arkansas goal--but nobody did so.

I agree with all of this. We just have a few weaknesses that when exposed cost us. We honestly didn't play poorly vs arkansas but we need more gamers. I say it all the time but we really miss Huff

 

[kregman]

Simmonds will move on to greener pastures if things don't change. She is wasting offensive talent here at present.

 

[turbovol]

Damn: Too tired to watch more than 4 mins of the Arkansas match last night on ESPN streaming replay, after returning from a long trip, and now the page won't load on ESPN. Pissed.

 

[kregman]

I agree with all of this. We just have a few weaknesses that when exposed cost us. We honestly didn't play poorly vs arkansas but we need more gamers. I say it all the time but we really miss Huff

We seem to never make runs.

 

[MAD]

Two games in a row former Vol Cariel Ellis scores the game winner.

 

[turbovol]

Just watched the Arkansas game.

--We did do some good things in this game--but we gave up a lame first goal and just didn't make enough plays in attack.

(On the Arkansas first goal, Nelson failed to step out and head a ball away that was headed right at her after the corner kick. She just stood there, doing nothing, thus forcing our keeper to dive over and punch the ball away, which goes right to another Arkansas player who puts it in the net.)

--Midgley is showing why she was a four-star prospect. She impressed in the Indiana game and IMO was our best player in the 2nd half of this game. She also probably scored late in the game on that ball that the Arky keeper pulled back right on (or beyond) the line. It looked like the ball crossed the line--but there is no way to check such plays in college soccer and the linesman is almost never positioned right at the goal line, where he'd need to be to possibly inform the referee that the ball cross the line. It's unfortunate.

We need Midgley to get involved in attack, in addition to Fusco, and she did. As for Fusco, she's an an excellent attacking mid except for the fact that she's not a good shooter. Second in the SEC in shots per game--but her shot placement is just poor. She needs to take an extra beat before shooting--when she has the time, as she did on one shot in the first half and one shot in the second--and either aim for the upper corners or hit it low across goal if she is off to the side of goal when shooting. She did that late in the game with her left foot---but pulled the ball a touch wide. Keep working it, kid. I watched midfielder Korbin Albert play for Notre Dame last year--she was arguably the best player in college soccer (signed a contract with top French team PSG after two college seasons) and she is a brilliant shooter, partly because she is very good at placing the ball in the upper corners of the goal. It's not always about hitting the ball hard--it's shooting the ball where the keeper ain't--and that's the issue with Fusco and others on our team.

----Why Kirt started Nelson at forward and not Runyon--who is faster, stronger, better--is astounding. Nelson is just an average player and not someone who's going to help us beat strong opponents, IMO. (There are players who can make some plays against lesser teams but who struggle to be influential against strong teams, and Nelson is one such player.) Runyon should have played 60+ minutes in this game, not 36, and Diaz should have played more. It may sound harsh, but IMO pointless to play last-year players who simply aren't good enough to help us win SEC games. The same is true of Washington. If the coaches have a plan to play freshman Mitchell at defensive mid next year, they should be giving her minutes and not Washington, IMO. Otherwise, we'll have an inexperienced defensive mid next year, and that won't be a good thing.

If Simmonds is off to Jamaican national team duty, then we'll surely see more of Runyon--but without Simmonds on the field as well we're in even worse shape. We need two people up front who can potentially make plays, not one.

---It's hard to see this team scoring many goals, which is why we simply cannot give up bad goals as we did against Indiana and as we did once or twice against Arkansas. You just can't have defensive lapses and win games.

 

[MAD]

Tennessee soccer takes another hit with season-ending leg injury to leading scorer Jaida Thomas​

Tennessee soccer lost a third veteran starter to a season-ending injury with the loss of Jaida Thomas after suffering a leg injury, according to Tennessee athletics on Saturday.

Thomas, the team's returning leading scorer, only played in two games this season against SMU and Indiana. The senior forward scored her only goal of the season against the Hoosiers to tie the game. It put her at 39 career goals, only five goals away from surpassing Kylee Rossi's program record 43 goals to become Tennessee's all-time leading scorer. Thomas scored 13 goals and was an All-SEC First Team selection last season.

Her injury is a devastating blow to Tennessee (5-2-1, 0-1 SEC) but also Thomas, who has faced season-ending injuries previously. Thomas suffered two ACL tears in high school, the second forcing her to redshirt her freshman season at UT. Thomas still has an extra year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Starting defender Tara Katz, who has been a staple of the back line for four seasons, suffered a season-ending injury in preseason. Katz has started in 54 of her 73 appearances for Tennessee and logged 5,159 minutes. She has scored one goal and had four assists.

Katz had returned for her fifth year, along with starting midfielder Claudia Dipasupil, who was forced to medically retire before the season began. Dipasupil was in and out of the starting lineup last season due to injuries, but started in seven of her 14 appearances in 2022. She had 12 goals and 16 assists in her four seasons at Tennessee.

Tennessee also lost Jenna Chatterton due to a season-ending injury she suffered against ETSU. The junior midfielder started in one of her three appearances this season.

 

[MAD]

Former Tennessee soccer standout M.A. Vignola earns first call-up to senior U.S. Women's National Team​

Former Tennessee soccer star M.A. Vignola has earned her first call-up to the senior U.S. Women's National Team, the federation announced Saturday.

The Angel City FC defender along with NY/NJ Gotham FC forward Midge Purce will replace Rose Lavelle and Kelley O’Hara on the USWNT roster for friendlies against South Africa in Chicago and Cincinnati, where Vignola hails from. The USWNT will kick off in Cincinnati on Sept. 21 and in Chicago on Sept. 24.

Vignola, 25, is in her second full season with ACFC in the National Women's Soccer League and has earned a starting role. She has started in 12 of her 15 matches and scored two goals from the back line.

Vignola is the third uncapped player invited to camp, signaling the USWNT's transition to a new era after a disappointing 2023 World Cup. The USWNT bowed out in the Round of 16 to Sweden in penalty kicks, recording the worst World Cup finish ever. The other uncapped players include 22-year-old forward Mia Fishel and 18-year-old Jaedyn Shaw.

 

[orange beard]

Tennessee soccer takes another hit with season-ending leg injury to leading scorer Jaida Thomas​

Tennessee soccer lost a third veteran starter to a season-ending injury with the loss of Jaida Thomas after suffering a leg injury, according to Tennessee athletics on Saturday.

Thomas, the team's returning leading scorer, only played in two games this season against SMU and Indiana. The senior forward scored her only goal of the season against the Hoosiers to tie the game. It put her at 39 career goals, only five goals away from surpassing Kylee Rossi's program record 43 goals to become Tennessee's all-time leading scorer. Thomas scored 13 goals and was an All-SEC First Team selection last season.

Her injury is a devastating blow to Tennessee (5-2-1, 0-1 SEC) but also Thomas, who has faced season-ending injuries previously. Thomas suffered two ACL tears in high school, the second forcing her to redshirt her freshman season at UT. Thomas still has an extra year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Starting defender Tara Katz, who has been a staple of the back line for four seasons, suffered a season-ending injury in preseason. Katz has started in 54 of her 73 appearances for Tennessee and logged 5,159 minutes. She has scored one goal and had four assists.

Katz had returned for her fifth year, along with starting midfielder Claudia Dipasupil, who was forced to medically retire before the season began. Dipasupil was in and out of the starting lineup last season due to injuries, but started in seven of her 14 appearances in 2022. She had 12 goals and 16 assists in her four seasons at Tennessee.

Tennessee also lost Jenna Chatterton due to a season-ending injury she suffered against ETSU. The junior midfielder started in one of her three appearances this season.

This is kirts saving grace i think!

 

[Vol67]

The soccer team is the worst Lady Vols team on campus

 

[Vol67]

This is kirts saving grace i think!

Shouldn't be. He needs replaced, just not good enough to be an HC

 

[MAD]

 

[turbovol]

Lawton has been a bright sport for this team. She isn't quite as pacey as you'd like a forward to be--primarily
because I believe she's been a midfielder for most of her career--but she's a good player and a smart one.

Kirt needs to stop making bad personnel decisions. He and the staff did some good things coming into this season--a
strong freshman class plus some solid transfers, ditched the 3-back system that he foolishly installed last year--but then he turns around and
starts less talented players at some positions while better players get limited minutes. I strongly sense a guy who's loyalty to players who've been with the program for years has clouded his judgment. He apparently thought that G. Washington--who has played very little the last four years (and for good reason) was the player to replace Burdette at defensive mid. That was, er, not wise, if I may say so--and he's apparently been persuaded lately that Agresti is the better option. Agresti is no Burdette but she's better than Washington. He started Nelson at forward against Arkansas and Runyon mostly sat on the bench until late in the first half. Also unwise. Runyon made a noticeable difference in the second half and should have started the game and played 70 minutes--still a bit raw, but also much faster, stronger, more athletic than Nelson, as one would think would be obvious to our coaches. Both Nelson and Washington have been involved in goals that we've given up.

You, as a coach, have to think about not just about the current club and season but the next year as well--and how you might best fill lineup holes. I don't think Kirt's done a good job of that the last two years. Just too many questionable decisions, IMO, which you can't afford when you are lacking scorers and have injury problems. Good grief: you've got to recognize who your best players are.

We still have enough talent to win games--and it has to start with Florida.