KENTUCKY OUSTS LADY VOLS FROM SEC TOURNAMENT, 4-2

Thursday, November 8

Baton Rouge, LA

University of Tennessee

11-6

Kentucky

12-6-1

Team	1	2	Final F
Kentucky	3	1	4
#19 Tennessee	1	1	2

Sue Flamini had both goals for the Lady Vols.

November 08, 2001 | Soccer

Box Score

Nov. 8, 2001

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BATON ROUGE, La.

The Lady Vols' woes at the Southeastern Conference Women's Soccer Tournament continued for another season on Thursday afternoon, as fourth-seeded Tennessee was eliminated by the fifth-seeded Kentucky, 4-2. The Wildcats tallied three goals in the first 35 minutes of the match and used staunch defense to protect their lead. Although the Orange narrowed the gap to 3-2 with 7:26 remaining in regulation on freshman Sue Flamini's second goal of the afternoon, the 'Cats would tack on an insurance score by rookie Danielle Slupski with just 2:10 left to finalize the margin.

"Kentucky finished extremely well this afternoon," said head coach Angela Kelly. "Three goals on their first four shots is a fantastic scoring percentage. Still, we fought back to get ourselves out of the hole. To the credit of my girls, they couldn't have worked any harder for me. We were a different team in the second half and that proved to me they have a large amount of character and great love for one another. Sue (Flamini) showed everyone why she was picked first-team All-SEC tonight, as she was all over the field and had a great offensive and defensive presence. I was also very impressed with the efforts of junior Jen Laughridge and freshman Keeley Dowling, who both never stopped playing. I am disappointed in the loss but proud to be the coach of this group of Lady Vols."

With the defeat, UT (11-6) dropped its fifth consecutive contest at the event to remain winless in the postseason. UK (12-6-1) now advances to meet No. 1 Florida in tomorrow's first semifinal at 5 p.m. CT. The Gators blanked Vanderbilt in today's opening match of the tournament, 4-0. UF is seeking its sixth league crown in a row and has now taken 54 of its last 55 conference tilts.

First-team All-SEC selection Annie Gage put Kentucky on the board first at 5:36 by converting a cross pass from junior midfielder Keri Boyce. The senior's team-leading ninth goal of the campaign was deposited into the center of the net from around five yards out past UT junior keeper Cori Stevens. Gage was in the right place at the right time to record her second goal of the day at 21:34, as a defensive miscommunication enabled the Wildcat striker to collect a loose rebound and score an easy goal.

The clan from Lexington increased its advantage to 3-0 at 34:54 on junior Christal Mattingly's initial score of 2001. Sophomore Kim Jedlo had carried the ball down the right wing and pin-pointed a pass across the goal-mouth that Mattingly was able to deflect just inside the left post. Jumping through the air, the midfielder angled her left foot to direct the ball just out of Stevens' reach.

Following a UK foul right outside of the box, Flamini connected on the seventh goal of her debut season with only four seconds remaining until the half. The score marked Tennessee's first-ever at the SEC Tournament after enduring shutout defeats in 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000. Although the Orange entered the break with a 10-4 advantage in shots, Kentucky held the 3-1 lead.

Kelly's club trimmed the deficit to 3-2 by taking advantage of another Wildcat foul. On the afternoon, Kentucky would commit 18 infractions, compared to eight for UT. This time, Flamini banged a shot from the right corner off a direct kick that eluded UK senior netminder Beth Wells at 82:34. The two tallies for the Cranford, N.J., native marked her first multiple-goal effort as a Lady Vol.

As Tennessee pressed for the equalizer as the seconds ticked down, Gage was able to set up Slupski for a score that enabled Kentucky to move ahead by a 4-2 count. Positioned on the left wing, Gage found her teammate cutting across the middle in front of the Lady Vol goal between 18-20 yards out. From there, the rookie blasted a shot for her second goal of the year.

UT wound up with a 23-7 disparity in shots, led by seven attempts from Flamini and six from All-SEC performer Kim Patrick. Wells rose to the challenge to make nine saves, while the Wildcat defensive corps were also credited with a pair of stops. Gage accounted for three shots for UK and totaled two goals and an assist to propel her squad to the win. Patrick's school-record 11 straight matches with a point, dating back to Sept. 20, came to an end in the setback.

Tennessee must now wait until Monday afternoon at 3 p.m. to learn its fate for the NCAA Tournament. The Lady Vols are seeking their first berth into the 64-team field, which will feature the first and second rounds at campus sites next weekend.

SCORING SUMMARY
at LSU Soccer Complex * Baton Rouge, La.

	1	2	F
Kentucky (12-6-1)	3	1	4
#19 TENNESSEE (11-6)	1	1	2

UK: Annie Gage (Keri Boyce), 5:36
UK: Annie Gage (Unassisted), 21:34
UK: Christal Mattingly (Kim Jedlo), 34:54
UT: Sue Flamini (Unassisted), 44:56
UT: Sue Flamini (Unassisted), 82:34
UK: Danielle Slupski (Annie Gage), 87:50

Shots: Kentucky 7, Tennessee 23.
Corner Kicks: Kentucky 1, Tennessee 3.
Goalkeeper Stats: Beth Wells (UK), 90:00, 9 saves, 2 goals, Cori Stevens (UT), 90:00, 1 save, 4 goals.
Fouls: Kentucky 18, Tennessee 8.
Yellow Cards: UK: Amber Wilson, 64:25, UT: Marie-Eve Nault, 70:31.
Offsides: Kentucky 4, Tennessee 3.

Starting Lineups:
Kentucky: Beth Wells (GK), Kara McCue (MF), Aimee Brown (D), Kate Qually (F), Jen Wilkinson (MF), Susie Ledzianowski (MF), Melinda Buemi (D), Alli Haeussler (MF), Annie Gage (F), Keri Boyce (F), Jamie Hutchison (D).
Reserves: Heather Saas, Amber Wilson, Christal Mattingly, Danielle Slupski, Kathy Fulk, Kim Jedlo.
Tennessee: Cori Stevens (GK), Lyndsey Patterson (MF), Kim Patrick (F), Kayla Lockaby (MF), Keeley Dowling (MF), Carie Swibas (D), Lindsey Wiest (D), Tracy Swibas (D), Jen Laughridge (MF), Marie-Eve Nault (MF), Sue Flamini (MF).
Reserves: Nikki Bratta, Kristin McGrath.

Shots Taken:
Kentucky: Gage 3, Boyce, Jedlo, Mattingly, Slupski.
Tennessee: Flamini 7, Patrick 6, Dowling 4, Laughridge 2, Lockaby 2, Patterson 2.
Officials: Brian Kirkley (Referee), Griff Sims, Michelle Tubre (Assistant Referees).
Attendance: 150.