⚽️ LADY VOLS SOCCER

Total rebuild after a second coaching change resulted from a completely toxic environment.


Pretty shocking fall for a Florida program that not long ago was the best in the SEC. Indeed, Florida is the only SEC team to win a national championship in soccer (even if it was a gift courtesy of an absolutely terrible PK call on North Carolinia in the championship game that gave Florida the 1-0 victory, as I recall).

Two of our most recent commits were originally committed to Florida, including a forward out of Colorado who seems to have the potential to be very good.
 
VFL Danielle Marcano scored her second brace in consecutive matches.

She is on fire, 4 goals in two games.

 
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Six Lady Vols Named To SEC Preseason Watch List

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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Six Tennessee players were named to the 2022 SEC Soccer Preseason Watch List as announced by the conference on Wednesday.

Fifth-year seniors Abbey Burdette and Mackenzie George, senior Lindsey Romig, redshirt-junior Jaida Thomas, junior Lawson Renie and sophomore Taylor Huff were all named players to watch this season. This is Romig's third straight appearance on the watch list, while George and Thomas are making their second straight appearances.

Burdette, the 2021 SEC Tournament MVP, returns for a fifth year having started all 23 games during UT's record-breaking 2021 campaign while tallying two goals and two assists. In exhibition play this season, Burdette scored a pair of goals against #16 Notre Dame.

George dished out a team-high 10 assists in 2021 and finished third on the team in total points with 22. She started all 23 games, adding six goals on the season. In UT's 5-1 exhibition win over Dayton on Sunday, George scored from close range in the 54thminute.

Romig sits at third all-time in the Tennessee record book with a career goals against average of .904 and a save percentage of .802. She logged 17 wins in 2021, nine of which were shutouts.

Thomas earned Second Team All-America honors following a redshirt-sophomore campaign in which she scored a team-high 13 goals and added six assists. Through two seasons she has amassed 25 goals, landing at No. 10 all-time in career goals scored by a Lady Vol. She trails No. 1 Kylee Rossi by 18 goals and No. 2 Hannah Wilkinson by just eight.

Lawson led the team in minutes played during the 2021 season with 1,970. She started all 23 matches and was on the field for 525 minutes of UT's program-best shutout streak of 633:53 set over the first seven games of the season last year.

Huff, the 2021 SEC Freshman of the Year, had a breakout rookie campaign, scoring 10 goals, three of which were game winners. She led the team in shots on goal and also managed five assists to finish second on the team in total points with 25. In the Lady Vols' exhibition win over Dayton this season, she scored the game winner in the 26th minute and added a second goal on a penalty in the second half.

UT will open the season on the road at No. 10 UNC on Thursday. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET, and the contest will be streamed on ACC Network Extra.
 
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Weekend Preview: College Games to Watch | College Soccer

This has to be a typo, they have Tennessee #3


No. 3 Tennessee at No. 8 North Carolina, 7 p.m. (ACC Network Extra)
The Tar Heels will be shorthanded heading into the season opener, having sent two players to the U20 World Cup. Tennessee, meanwhile, faces the challenge of heading into the season with a new head coach — and has also sent a player to Costa Rica with the YNT. It’s a historically poor matchup for the Vols; they’ve never beaten the Tar Heels.
 
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Weekend Preview: College Games to Watch | College Soccer

This has to be a typo, they have Tennessee #3


No. 3 Tennessee at No. 8 North Carolina, 7 p.m. (ACC Network Extra)
The Tar Heels will be shorthanded heading into the season opener, having sent two players to the U20 World Cup. Tennessee, meanwhile, faces the challenge of heading into the season with a new head coach — and has also sent a player to Costa Rica with the YNT. It’s a historically poor matchup for the Vols; they’ve never beaten the Tar Heels.
Who's gone to Costa Rica?
 
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Who's gone to Costa Rica?


Nobody: That's a mistake in the story. Huff had a chance to go, but she only got picked for the last U20 training camp and two-match tourney (scored a goal in one game)--but the U.S. tends to favor players who've been in the U.S. National Team youth system for a few years, and also seems to favor players from the premier college programs. So Huff wasn't chosen for the final squad that went to Costa Rica--though she is certainly good enough to ahve been picked. As it happens, the U.S. U20 team is headed home--they got beat by Japan tonight, 1-3, are out of the tournament.

This means that Michelle Cooper, Duke's good center forward, will be back and available for the match against us. She's a strong and fairly quick center forward who will have to be well-marked, and played physically, or she will cause us problems. She and another player for Duke, McKenzie Pluck, who's not that big but quite quick and talented, are Duke's two best attacking players--and dangerous.
 
George And Thomas Named To Players To Watch List

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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee fifth-year senior Mackenzie George and redshirt-junior Jaida Thomas have been named to the 2022 United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division I Women's Players to Watch list for forwards.

George dished out a team-high 10 assists in 2021 and finished third on the team in total points with 22. She started all 23 games, adding six goals on the season. In UT's 5-1 exhibition win over Dayton on Sunday, George beat two defenders to score from close range in the 54th minute.

Thomas earned Second Team All-America honors following a redshirt-sophomore campaign in which she scored a team-high 13 goals and added six assists. Through two seasons she has amassed 25 goals, landing in a tie for 10th all-time in career goals scored by a Lady Vol. She trails No. 1 Kylee Rossi by 18 goals and No. 2 Hannah Wilkinson by just eight.

The lists are being released for the first time this season by the Division I All-America Committees to promote college soccer leading up to the official start date for the regular season later this month. The lists include United Soccer Coaches All-Americans and first or second-team All-Region players from 2021, who are scheduled to return for the 2022 season.

To read the United Soccer Coaches official release and view a complete list of forwards on the watch list, click here.

The Lady Vols head into the 2022 campaign ranked No. 11 in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll and return 10 starters from the 2021 SEC Championship squad that won a program-best 20 games while advancing to the NCAA Round of 16.

UT will open the season on the road at No. 10 UNC on Thursday. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET, and the contest will be streamed on ACC Network Extra.
 
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MATCH CENTRAL: #11 Tennessee At #10 North Carolina

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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- The 11th-ranked Lady Vols will open the season on the road at No. 10 UNC on Thursday. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET, and the contest will be streamed on ACC Network Extra.

Tennessee is coming off two exhibition wins, having taken a 3-0 decision over #16 Notre Dame and a 5-1 victory over Dayton. UNC also picked up two preseason wins, shutting out VCU and #3 BYU with scores of 5-0 and 2-0, respectively.

Tennessee is looking for its first win against the Tar Heels. The teams have met on 12 occasions with the sole tie coming in the form of a 0-0 draw in Knoxville in 2004. The Lady Vols last played UNC in spring of the 2020-21 season, suffering a 7-0 loss at home. When playing in Chapel Hill, UT's record is 0-6.

SCOUTING NORTH CAROLINA: The Tar Heels, who finished tied for sixth place in the ACC last year, return 10 players who started 11 or more games last season and 24 letterwinners. UNC is led by led second-team All-America defender Maycee Bell, and also returns its top two goal scorers in sophomore Emily Colton, a 2021 All-ACC Freshman Team selection, and junior Avery Patterson.

TENNESSEE ON TOP: The Lady Vols were picked to finish first in the SEC as voted on by the conference's 14 head coaches. UT is coming off a 2021 campaign in which it won a program-best 20 games, clinching an SEC Tournament Championship and going 20-3 en route to the NCAA Round of 16.

SIX LADY VOLS ON SEC WATCH LIST: Fifth-year seniors Abbey Burdette and Mackenzie George, senior Lindsey Romig, redshirt-junior Jaida Thomas, junior Lawson Renie and sophomore Taylor Huff were all named to the SEC Preseason Watch List. This is Romig's third straight appearance on the watch list, while George and Thomas are making their second straight appearances.

GUESS WHO'S BACK, BACK AGAIN: UT returns 10 starters from the 2021 SEC Championship squad, including Second Team All-American and First Team All-Region forward Jaida Thomas, 2021 SEC Freshman of the Year Taylor Huff, and First Team All-SEC forward Mackenzie George.

YOUNG GUNS: The Lady Vols welcomed the No. 6 signing class in the nation as rated by Top Drawer Soccer. The group features nine versatile field players and one goalkeeper with five players rated inside the IMG Academy Top-150 club player rankings. Freshmen Layla Shell and Macaira Midgley enrolled in January and gained valuable experience during UT's spring season.

UP NEXT: Tennessee returns home for another Top 25 matchup, hosting #23 SMU at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday. The game will be streamed on SECN+.
 
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Wow: High expectations this year. I hope we're good enough to meet them!

On another note, I have to chuckle at the fact that Pensky and his FSU team open with four straight games against SEC teams, starting with South Carolina, away, tonight--a game I want to watch on replay, if possible. I'm sure he finds that ironic. South Carolina coach Shelly Smith will be licking her lips, desperate to beat her former SEC rival, who now has the big (and high-paying) FSU job.
 
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Wow: High expectations this year. I hope we're good enough to meet them!

On another note, I have to chuckle at the fact that Pensky and his FSU team open with four straight games against SEC teams, starting with South Carolina, away, tonight--a game I want to watch on replay, if possible. I'm sure he finds that ironic. South Carolina coach Shelly Smith will be licking her lips, desperate to beat her former SEC rival, who now has the big (and high-paying) FSU job.
Hope you have a great time at the match tonight, bring home a win!

Not that you would want it, but get your free shirt while you are there.

 

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