History of Lady Vols Soccer cont.
Season 2006
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Ali Christoph scored the very first goal in the new Regal Soccer Stadium.
Here is the article and some photos of the game winner by Ali.
CHRISTOPH PENALTY KICK LEADS 14TH-RANKED LADY VOLS OVER NO. 6 VIRGINIA
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - A 98th-minute penalty kick by senior All-American midfielder
Ali Christoph gave the No. 14 Tennessee soccer team a 1-0 victory over No. 6 Virginia in the first match at the Regal Soccer Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
UT's first win of 2006 comes against the same team that it broke through against in 2005, and it came in similar dramatic fashion. Freshman forward
Devon Swaim (Levittown, Pa.) was driving toward goal down the sideline and trying to fight past Virginia defender Alli Fries. Swaim got a step on the defender and cut to the net, but she was taken down inside the penalty box, causing the penalty kick attempt. Christoph (Columbus, Ohio) stepped up and knocked the shot past UVA senior goalkeeper Christina de Vries to end the match.
The Lady Vols had control of the ball most of the overtime period, taking two shots during the extra time while Virginia had none. Thirty seconds into overtime, Swaim tried to end the match with a shot from inside the 18-yard box, but de Vries made the stop.
The second half was a back-and-forth battle mainly in the midfield. Both teams had opportunities to score, with the Cavaliers' sophomore midfielder Kelly Quinn having the best chance. In the 86th minute, Quinn shot from inside the penalty box after a corner kick by Caitlin Miskel. Quinn's try hit the crossbar and went away from goal, where the UT defenders were able to clear it.
Tennessee's best try in the second half came in the 79th minute when sophomore forward
Kylee Rossi (Pennington, N.J.) had her header try off a Christoph free kick snagged by de Vries. Just minutes before, the Orange and White sent some passes up for the UT forwards, but de Vries was able to grab those lead passes just before the attackers could get to them.
In the first half, the Big Orange tried to take the action to de Vries early. Swaim was successful in the third minute in getting behind the netminder on a drive, but her shot from the left wing stayed left of goal.
"We came out very inspired in the second half," said UT head coach
Angela Kelly. "We had a couple of changes that we needed to make. I'm a little disappointed in our performance in the first half. We still have to bring a consistent effort the entire game, but we still have a young team and it's still early in the season. We're just excited about the opportunities that lie ahead.
"When we come inspired and ready to play, we can compete with anyone in the country. I would like to see them play with that kind of inspiration for the full 90 minutes every time so that it becomes part of whom we are and not what just shows up sometimes. We're going to work on that."
For the match, Virginia held a 14-11 lead in shots, while the Lady Vols finished with a 7-4 advantage in corner kicks. UT was called offside on five occasions compared to three by the Cavaliers. Sophomore goalkeeper
Jaimel Johnson (Dayton, Ohio) made four saves in her first career win.
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Also Ali is only the Second Lady Soccer Vol to become a first team All American. There have been none since.