University of Tennessee Athletics
LADY VOLS AWAIT TOP-RANKED NORTH CAROLINA ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT
September 24, 2001 | Soccer
Sept. 24, 2001
KNOXVILLE, Tenn.
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The Lady Vol soccer team, now 4-2 overall after suffering a double-overtime loss to #7 Clemson on Sunday afternoon, will host #1 North Carolina (5-0) on Wednesday night at the UT Soccer Complex. The Tar Heels, who have claimed of 16 of the 19 NCAA Division I championships, have out-scored their opponents by a 25-0 margin thus far in 2001, including shutouts of Georgia (9-0) and Missouri (7-0) this past weekend at the Duke adidas Classic in Durham, N.C. The match will be UT's third straight against the Atlantic Coast Conference and will serve as the Lady Vols' final non-league contest before opening the Southeastern Conference portion of its schedule on Friday, Oct. 5 at Western Division rival Auburn.
"Obviously, it will be an exciting match for myself with my best friends (Mia Hamm, Kristine Lilly and Tisha Venturini) in town and our team hosting my alma mater," said Tennessee head coach Angela Kelly, a 1994 graduate of UNC. "It's definitely going to be a tough match, since my girls are going to have to give everything they have and a lot more in order to compete with them. Anson (Dorrance) is my mentor and one of my great friends. He is a living legend in the sport of women's soccer and being able to compete against him will be special."
Tennessee junior forward Kim Patrick, who earned a pair of titles as a member of the 'Heels in 1999 and 2000, will be facing her former teammates for the initial time. The Pleasanton, Calif., native is coming off a tremendous effort versus Clemson, as she tallied a goal and two assists and also tied a school record with 12 shots on goal. On the campaign, she has attempted a team-high 30 shots and rates third on UT in scoring with seven points on two goals and three helpers. Freshman midfielder Sue Flamini, who chipped in a goal and an assist against the Lady Tigers, leads the Orange with 11 points on four scores and three assists. Junior goalkeeper Cori Stevens boasts a 1.43 goals against average and an .809 save percentage in her six starts in net.
Eighteen different players have figured in North Carolina's offensive production, headlined by sophomore All-American Alyssa Ramsey (six goals, five assists, 17 points) and sophomore Elizabeth Ball (four goals, two assists, 10 points). Other top players for UNC include 2001 US Women's Soccer Team Members junior Jenni Branam, senior Danielle Borgman, the 2000 Soccer Times Defender of the Year, junior Susan Bush, senior Jena Kluegel, sophomore Catherine Reddick and senior Anne Remy. Carolina has dominated its foes in every category, including a 105-21 shot differential.
Under the guidance of head coach Anson Dorrance, who has compiled a remarkable 492-22-11 (.948) record in his 23 seasons, the Tar Heels are a consensus number one in all of the recognized polls this week. Those polls include the National Soccer Coaches Association of America/adidas National Rankings, SoccerTimes.com College Coaches Division I Women's Soccer Poll, Soccer Buzz, Soccer America Women's Top 20, and CollegeSoccer.Com National Media Poll.
In the teams' last encounter on Sept. 3, 2000, in Chapel Hill, N.C., Erica LaShomb gave the Lady Vols a quick 1-0 lead, but the talented Tar Heels responded with six straight goals to seal the victory. After being blanked in its previous three meetings, the Knoxville clan headed into the break knotted at one with UNC. Future Lady Vol Patrick would deliver a pair of goals against the Orange, giving her a total of four career goals in two games versus UT. The victory was also the 200th on hallowed Fetzer Field for the Tar Heels in their 22-year history, while Dorrance was coaching the 500th match of his career.
