University of Tennessee Athletics
Lady Vol Soccer 2001 Season Outlook
August 23, 2001 | Soccer
Aug. 23, 2001
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - As the seconds tick down before a green flag signals the outset of its 2001 campaign, the University of Tennessee Lady Volunteer soccer team has been preparing diligently for a series of demanding trials over the coming months. Having piloted her crew to second-place status on the Southeastern Conference circuit last season despite being projected to finish last in the league race, head coach Angela Kelly has strived to assemble a unit well-equipped to fulfill its ultimate objective of "Reaching the Winner's Circle."
Boosted by the return of 13 letterwinners from a squad that rang up a school record-tying 12 victories, and an influx of nine talented newcomers, UT appears to have the necessary tools at its disposal to generate a winning formula toward peak performance. Already receiving national praise for a top-notch recruiting haul, the Orange and White hopes to use its preseason ranking of sixth in the Central Region rankings as a springboard toward triumphant results. Although a grueling slate will require numerous adjustments and countless hours spent within the training ground of the Tennessee Soccer Complex, a capable staff comprised of assistant coaches Samantha Baggett and John Cone is on hand to assist the primary tactician, Coach Kelly.
"As I enter my second season at the helm of our soccer program, I am quite excited and pleased with the direction in which we are heading," said Tennessee's crew chief. "Even though we caught several opponents by surprise last year, with any luck, those positive results were baby steps en route to broader achievements. My intention for this fall revolves around a continual climb up the NCAA ladder so we can establish a fixed presence among the nation's elite teams."
The Lady Vols' intended course of action for the '01 campaign is straight-forward: put together a durable and swift vehicle that will out-work every opponent in hopes of surpassing the rest of the SEC and emerge as one of the high-octane programs around the country. As is the case with any lengthy race to the finish, the blueprint for success will entail using all of the available resources, determining the proper combinations for maximized effort, and making steady progress at specific intervals - each in pursuit of a tangible goal: the club's initial NCAA berth.
FORWARDS
When Rhian Wilkinson arrived on campus last fall for her initial season as a Lady Vol, hardly anyone could have predicted what was to follow for the forward who calls Baie d'Urfe, Quebec, her home. En route to becoming the first Tennessee player to be chosen as the SEC Freshman of the Year, the 5'5" dynamo collected a vast array of individual honors, including selection as the UT Daily Beacon's top Lady Vol Athlete for 2000-01, second-team Freshman All-America accolades from Soccer Buzz Magazine, second-team All-Central and All-Freshman Central Region by the publication, as well as third-team All-Central Region recognition from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA). A second-team All-SEC honoree, she paced her squad in every single offensive category: shots (83), points (33), goals (12), assists (nine) and game-winning goals (four).
While Wilkinson is primed and ready to cause more headaches for Lady Vol opponents, the perfect complement for her offensive skills arrives in the form of junior transfer Kim Patrick, who was part of two NCAA title-winners at the University of North Carolina. A first-team Freshman All-America choice by Soccer Buzz in '99 when she led the Atlantic Coast Conference in points (42) and goals (18), the front-runner has picked up Women's College Cup All-Tournament accolades over the past two seasons. As someone who has grown accustomed to winning, Patrick looks to be hitting on all cylinders to provide the Big Orange with another offensive sparkplug and yet another viable option in the offensive zone.
Following a medical redshirt in her true freshman season at Clemson, Erica LaShomb contributed 10 points on four goals and a pair of assists in 2000 and showed the knack for scoring at critical times. The Greeneville, Tenn., native stunned #1 North Carolina with a first-half tally to enable UT to draw first blood against the `Heels, and she later sent her team to overtime with a late goal in an eventual triumph over Georgia. One of only two seniors who will suit up for Kelly's crew this season, Sharon Holmes hopes to conclude her career with the type of production she showed last year, when she recorded career highs across to board with nine points on three goals and three helpers.
Rounding out the stable of forwards are sophomore Nikki Bratta and rookie Mimi Couns. After joining the squad as a walk-on, Bratta saw time in 17 matches and handed out a couple of assists. Local standout Couns was Farragut High School's leading scorer with 39 points on 18 goals and three assists and shared Knoxville Interscholastic League Player of the Year accolades with one of her Lady Admiral teammates in '00.
"Our philosophy will not change this season, except for the fact we will continue to reiterate the importance of getting numbers forward in the attack to create more scoring opportunities for ourselves," commented Kelly. "Without a doubt, the addition of Kim should pay immediate dividends for us. I look for the combination of her tactical awareness and Rhian's acceleration and quickness on and off the ball to wreak havoc on opposing defenses. With an increase in depth, fitness and experience, this will allow us to play a quicker pace where we can exert high pressure all over the field when it's strategically prudent."
MIDFIELDERS
The Lady Vols will be shifting gears and adding a new dimension to their midfield, thanks to the infusion of the fifth-best recruiting class in the country according to Soccer Buzz Magazine's Division I rankings. This should help compensate for the graduation of the school's initial first-team All-SEC selection, Kelly Berrall, who was tabbed as the squad's Most Valuable Player for the second consecutive time after securing second-team All-Central Region honors from the NSCAA and Soccer Buzz in 2000.
Returning to form after missing the majority of last season with painful knee problems, junior Jen Laughridge will be counted upon to lead by example, both on and off the playing surface. The Wilson, N.C., native occupies the fourth slot on the program's all-time list with 15 assists, right behind former all-conference honorees Allison Campbell (16) and Laura Lauter Smith (17), with Berrall's standard of 25 helpers within her sights.
The other half of the 'Canadian Connection,' Marie-Eve Nault, aims to leave a greater impression on foes as a sophomore. Hailing from Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, Nault is coming off a freshman season in which she placed second on the Orange in both goals (six) and game-winners (three) on her way to 13 points. Even more importantly, five of her six scores came in league play, including victory-makers against Arkansas, LSU and #15 Kentucky.
After leaving campus this spring as the most fit player on the team according to Coach Kelly, senior Tara Minnax appeared to have overcome the effects of a torn ACL suffered last October. Unfortunately, UT's sixth-leading scorer all-time aggravated the injury during the summer and will be out for the season.
Tennessee's fortunes on the turf could hinge on how swiftly the highly-touted core of freshmen can live up to heightened expectations and mesh with their new teammates. Center midfielders Keeley Dowling and Sue Flamini and outside midfielders Kayla Lockaby and Lyndsey Patterson are primed to make an immediate impact for the Lady Vols.
The 2000 Indiana Women's Soccer Player of the Year and a two-time all-state selection, Dowling led Carmel High School to a state championship last fall and received numerous individual accolades. The captain of the United States Under-19 National Team that competed in Germany and Holland this summer, she was tabbed as an All-American by Parade Magazine and earned both the Hamilton County and Metro Player of the Year honors as a senior. Having spearheaded Cranford High School to a program-best ranking of second in the nation and a New Jersey state title, Flamini will arrive in Knoxville boasting impressive credentials. A member of the U.S. Under-17 National Team, she achieved All-America status in 2000 and 2001 and was named first-team All-Union County by the Newark Star Ledger four straight times.
Another member of the U.S. Youth National Team, Lockaby was selected as an All-American by the NSCAA in 1999 and 2000 and earned a spot on Parade Magazine's 2001 All-America squad as well. Chosen as the Gatorade Women's Soccer Player of the Year in the state of Ohio after her junior campaign, she was voted as the Ross High School Most Valuable Offensive Player all four years of her career. A four-time All-South Puget Sound League selection at Puyallup High School in Washington, Patterson was named as the conference's Most Valuable Player following her junior and senior season and was twice chosen all-area.
Another rookie should figure into the midfield equation for the Lady Vols, Ashley Dawes, who possesses substantial credentials and sports several championship rings. A four-year all-conference selection at Wawkesha Catholic Memorial (Wis.) High School, who left holding her school's career assist record, Dawes aided her club to four straight league titles and back-to-back state championships in 1999 and 2000. The team was also recognized as the national champion in 2000 after going undefeated.
"While Jen and Marie-Eve will fill the withdrawn forward and attacking midfield positions very well," said Kelly, "I look to have Keeley and Sue help play-make with our forwards and create space. Doing so will enable our flank players and our wingbacks to become involved in an all-out attack where we can control possession and dictate the tempo."
DEFENDERS
Energized by the return of sophomore starters Tracy and Carie Swibas, the Lady Vol defensive unit aims to contain its adversaries' front-runners and serve as a formidable restrictor plate by decreasing foes' horsepower and speed. After cementing her own reputation by becoming the third rookie in school history to start every match, Tracy Swibas looks to continue her development as one of the young standouts in the conference. In playing nearly every minute of last season's action, the Lakewood, Colo., native also picked up all-tournament accolades at the First Tennessee Bank Classic.
Not to be outdone by her sibling, Carie Swibas penciled her own name into the lineup in late September and wound up starting the squad's final 11 outings of the campaign. An effective playmaker who showed patience in distributing the ball out of the back, she was credited with a pair of assists as a first-year performer for UT.
Back at full strength after recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament suffered last summer, sophomore Cameron Conway aims to find herself on the starting grid. Having earned 12 starting berths in her first season of '99, Conway displayed a level of intensity and aggressiveness rarely found in a freshman. Another individual who was reduced to watching from the sidelines last year, sophomore Marcelle Van Yahres underwent surgery on her leg in the middle of August and will be worked into the rotation as her physical training allows.
Freshman Lindsey Wiest looks to forge her own identity after sitting out last year while recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament tear suffered during her senior prep season at Toms River East (N.J.) High School. Meanwhile, Kristin McGrath will also play an integral role in the back for the Orange in her first season at UT. A first-team all-conference choice on three occasions (1998, 1999 and 2001) and selected to the second team as a junior despite a broken foot, McGrath captained her Durango (Colo.) High School team as a senior and was also part of four straight conference titles.
"Coming off exceptional freshman seasons, I look for the Swibas duo to anchor our defense after bringing home their second straight national club team title this past summer," stated Kelly. "In playing a flat-back style, the best defenders in the world are the most tactically and technically sound, the only way to achieve that high standard of play is through match experience."
GOALKEEPERS
Discussing the success enjoyed by the Lady Vols on last season's competition circuit, analysts could point to the performance of starting goalkeeper Ellen Dean as a vital cog in the club's 12 triumphs. As a junior, the Memphis, Tenn., native raised the bar between the pipes, equaling her own team record of 11 victories while rating third in the league with 97 saves, another single-season high for UT. En route to 3.5 shutouts, Dean reduced her goals against average to 1.46 and boosted her save percentage to .795. Unfortunately for orange-clad enthusiasts who envisioned a higher performance level for the senior, Dean suffered a broken leg over Memorial Day weekend that will force her to take a medical redshirt in 2001.
Instead of a pair of Lady Vols jockeying for the number two slot behind the incumbent, senior Kim Sgarlata and junior Cori Stevens will now be thrust into the spotlight as UT's last line of defense. After totaling just 61 minutes through her first two seasons, Sgarlata saw time in six matches last fall, including starts against SEC brethren Florida, Kentucky and LSU. All told, the Memphian registered a 2.29 GAA and a .667 save percentage that included a career-high eight stops against the league champion Gators in the Swamp.
Stevens is more of an enigma for Lady Vol fans, as she sat out last season with an assortment of injuries after transferring from the University of Massachusetts. Unwilling merely to concede the number one job to her teammate, she looks to snare the brass ring and wind up as the starter. Splitting the starting duties in goal for the Minutewomen two seasons ago, Stevens helped the team to a 9-2 mark in the Atlantic 10 and an 11-5-1 overall record. She was rated 11th in the nation in '99 by making 8.33 saves per game and maintained a 1.47 GAA.
"Of all the positions on the field, easily the biggest battle centers upon determining our starting goalkeeper," acknowledged Kelly. "Whoever comes through the preseason the most fit and dominates the box with the greatest command will assume this pivotal role entering the campaign. Despite Ellen's devastating injury, on the heels of the best spring performance of her career, I am fully confident that the tandem of Kim and Cori can bring a different sense of stability to our defensive corps."
SCHEDULE
The competition calendar for the Lady Vols will present stiff tests and hardly offer any room for extended pit stops. Tennessee will meet six squads that reached last season's NCAA Tournament, including 16-time national champion North Carolina and runner-up UCLA, while three other clubs, Brigham Young, Florida and Southern California, finished in the final NSCAA poll of 2000.
"In order to meet our goals as a program and as a University to compete at the national level for titles, we need to play the highest caliber teams," said Kelly. "Our schedule reflects these goals and we look forward to the challenges presented by our various opponents."
UT will kick off its sixth season of competition during the first weekend of September with a journey to Provo, Utah. On Saturday, Sept. 1, the Lady Vols will encounter Brigham Young for the first time. The Cougars were 19-4-1 last fall and reached the Sweet 16 for the second consecutive year before falling to Santa Clara. Two days later, the Orange will face the Trojans of Southern California in the teams' initial meeting on the pitch. USC went 14-6-2 in 2000 and reached the second round of NCAA action before succumbing to rival UCLA.
A trip to Harrisonburg, Va., to face James Madison and Rutgers over Sept. 7-9, will be on the docket before the Lady Vols kick off their seven-match home schedule with the First Tennessee Bank Classic from Sept. 14-16. UT and Vanderbilt will attempt to carry the banner of the SEC against the duo of Oregon and Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The Big Orange will be looking to exact some revenge against the Panthers, who dealt Kelly's charges a 3-0 setback at the Milwaukee Cup last August, while UT has not played the Ducks since enduring a 3-1 defeat in Eugene in '98.
Kelly's troops will wing their way out to California in the middle of the month for tilts with San Diego and UCLA. The Toreros earned their third trip to the NCAA Tournament last November and suffered a 2-1 loss to Southern Cal to finish with a 13-7 mark. Meanwhile, the Bruins stormed into the Women's College Cup for the first time and tallied the opening goal of the NCAA Championship match before North Carolina rallied to post a 2-1 triumph.
Following their jaunt out to the West Coast, there will be no rest for the Lady Vols, as juggernaut North Carolina will roll into Knoxville for a mid-week clash on Sept. 26. Under the guidance of legendary head coach Anson Dorrance, the Tar Heels pocketed their second consecutive NCAA crown and 16th overall last December in San Jose, Calif.
Tennessee will open its league competition the weekend of Oct. 5-7 in hostile territory against Western Division adversaries Auburn and Alabama. Soon after, the team embarks on another road trip with stops in Nashville, Tenn., and Lexington, Ky., to meet Eastern Division opponents Vanderbilt and Kentucky on Oct. 12 and 14, respectively. In 2000, UT used late goals on its home turf to topple both the Commodores and Wildcats for the first time.
Reigning SEC champ Florida and South Carolina will then visit the Tennessee Soccer Complex on Oct. 19 and 21 for a pair of critical divisional matchups that will be televised. Tennessee's postseason hopes could hinge on the squad's final full weekend of league contests. UT will host Arkansas on Oct. 26 and will then entertain LSU in a matinee affair on the 28th. The Lady Volunteers will conclude their regular season against Georgia on Nov. 2 in Athens, Ga., with the SEC Tournament to be contested from Nov. 8-11 in Baton Rouge, La.
"Because the administration is so supportive with our budget, we are able to play a variety of nationally-ranked teams that can give us an indication of where we want our program to be," stated Kelly. "It is important for us to take some knocks during the season to get better and learn from our mistakes. Hopefully, by the time the NCAA Tournament approaches, we won't be faced with any surprises and can develop our own identity on the Division I landscape."
With a detailed plan of attack in place, as well as an unquenched thirst for victory, a trip to the winner's circle is the ultimate destination for these Lady Volunteers.
