University of Tennessee Athletics
2001 SOCCER SEASON IN REVIEW
January 07, 2002 | Soccer
Jan. 7, 2002
 All SEC First-Teamers Sue Flamini (l) and Kim Patrick (r) with Second-Teamer Keely Dowling (c). |
Entering her second season as head coach of the Lady Vol soccer team, Angela Kelly must have known that expectations for the 2001 campaign were heightened once she welcomed junior transfer Kim Patrick and a highly-touted recruiting class that was rated fifth by Soccer Buzz Magazine. The other 11 Southeastern Conference coaches certainly understood the talent level which would soon arrive in Knoxville, as Tennessee was voted to finish second in the league after being picked to finish last in Kelly's debut season.
When all was said and done, the Orange and White was ranked nationally for most of the fall and ended up securing its initial berth into the NCAA Tournament en route to an 11-6-1 overall mark. Tennessee snapped eighth-ranked Florida's SEC-record winning streak at 50 matches and was in the driver's seat to capture its first Eastern Division crown until a defeat at Georgia in the regular-season finale dashed those hopes. The Lady Vols also knocked off #13 Brigham Young, #16 Wake Forest, #24 Kentucky and NCAA Sweet 16 participant Rutgers before battling through four overtimes and seeing its season come to an end on penalty kicks to Duke. UT returns every starter, including three All-Central Region and All-SEC performers, so perhaps the 2001 edition of the Lady Vols might have given fans a preview of even better results and achievements to come.
Visiting #13 Brigham Young in its season opener on Sept. 1, the Big Orange delivered the most stunning upset in the program's six-year existence to that point with a 2-1 triumph over the Cougars. BYU had advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament in both 1998 and 2000 and had not dropped a regular-season match at South Field since '98.Although seven newcomers started for the Lady Vols, including five freshmen, UT was able to notch the first goal of the evening at 5:18. The offensive play was created by junior Jen Laughridge, who was returning to action after taking a medical redshirt with knee problems in 2000. The midfielder threaded a perfect pass to freshman Keeley Dowling, who was streaking down the left wing. From there, the rookie from Carmel, Ind., unleashed a low shot to the right side of the goal that the net-minder could not corral.
UT forward Rhian Wilkinson, the 2000 SEC Freshman of the Year, kicked off her sophomore season in stride by delivering a touch pass to rookie Sue Flamini around 30 yards beyond the BYU net. The freshman from Cranford, N.J., then uncorked a laser that the keeper could not contain, lifting the visitors to a 2-0 advantage at 78:52.
 Tensions were high during the NCAA selection show. |
Although the Cougars were able to cut the deficit in half with 4:21 remaining in regulation, junior keeper Cori Stevens and defense supplied by sophomores Carie and Tracy Swibas and freshman Lindsey Wiest preserved the triumph.
Facing 19th-ranked Southern California two days later in Provo, the Lady Vols came up short in its quest to begin with consecutive victories against ranked opponents, falling to the Trojans by a 1-0 margin. Freshman Shannon Cross, a substitute forward for the Women of Troy, tallied the lone goal of the match at 72:31.
On the strength of their breakthrough road win over BYU, the Lady Vols climbed into the initial National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/adidas Women's Division I ranking of the 2001 regular season on Sept. 5. While Tennessee was edged by USC, the voting was completed prior to that contest.
Competing at the JMU/Comfort Inn Invitational on Sept. 7, Dowling headed in a corner kick taken by Flamini with 11:35 remaining to break a 2-2 tie and lift the 21st-ranked Lady Vol soccer team to an eventual 4-2 triumph over host James Madison. Flamini, who also dished out a couple of assists, would later tack on an insurance tally with 3:04 left as UT improved to 2-1 on the season and dealt the Dukes their first setback.
Wilkinson helped the Orange draw first blood at 37:47 with her first score of the 2001 campaign. The forward from Baie d'Urfe, Quebec, received a touch pass from Flamini and blasted a rocket from 22 yards out that landed in the top right corner of JMU's net. The Dukes potted the equalizer 7:51 after halftime on a breakaway goal before Tennessee regained the lead at the 57-minute mark after Dowling wheeled and dealed through the JMU defensive zone and found Laughridge waiting around the six. The midfielder from Wilson, N.C., then connected on a shot just inside the left post for her first goal since Sept. 1, 2000, against Arizona.
Once again, the hosts came storming right back to tie the match, as Jamie Miller redirected a cross from Meredith McClure at 63:06 to forge a 2-2 deadlock. JMU had a golden opportunity to seize the lead just 49 seconds later, as Beth McNamara came in clean on Stevens but was denied from point-blank range by the net-minder. From there, UT's defensive pressure came alive to limit the Dukes to zero shots over the final 18:09 of the contest.
 Tennesssee scored the fastest goal in schoool history en route to the biggest win of school history. |
Flamini's corner kick that proved to be the winning goal was taken from the left of the goalie. Dowling then came rushing through the flank and delivered a volley off her head into the center of the net for the 3-2 Lady Vol lead. After a frenzy of Tennessee chances with the clock continuing to wind down, Flamini came streaking down the right wing and fired a shot that Suzanne Wilson deflected wide. However, the midfielder regained possession and lifted a shot past the prone keeper to finalize the margin at 4-2.
On Sunday afternoon, Sept. 9, Kelly's club used a balanced scoring attack to turn back Rutgers, 3-0, and claim the JMU/Comfort Inn Invitational. The tournament championship marked the first for Tennessee in the program's existence. With its second straight win, the Orange improved to 3-1 and equaled its best start after four matches. Flamini was chosen as the event's Most Valuable Player after totaling six points on two goals and a pair of assists. She was later named as the SEC Player of the Week, becoming only the second UT rookie to earn kudos from the league office, as Wilkinson had received the accolade on Oct. 30, 1999.
Patrick opened the scoring against RU at 19:41 with her initial goal at UT off a feed from Dowling. Despite controlling the tempo and attempting 11 shots in the first half, compared to only four for the Scarlet Knights, the Lady Vols headed into halftime with a slim 1-0 lead. Things would stay that way until 5:25 remained in regulation, when Flamini banged a cross from Patrick into the net for her team-best third goal of 2001. Tennessee would strike again at 89:54, as Wilkinson sprinted down the right wing after taking a feed from Laughridge.
Having improved to 16th in the national polls, the Lady Vols enjoyed a successful 2001 debut on its home turf on Sept. 20 by posting a 2-1 triumph over Wake Forest at the UT Soccer Complex. Following a scoreless opening half in which Tennessee held a 9-7 edge in shots, Dowling provided the Orange with a 1-0 lead at 57:15 after knocking in a loose rebound in front of WFU goalkeeper Erin Regan.
The home team would fashion a 2-0 cushion at 75:45, as sophomore Marie-Eve Nault delivered a cross from the right wing to the feet of freshman Kayla Lockaby. From there, the midfielder from Hamilton, Ohio, lined a low shot to Regan's right for her initial career tally. Although the Demon Deacons trimmed the deficit in half only 3:08 later, Stevens was up to the challenge. The junior from Greensboro, N.C., who entered the week as the Southeastern Conference's leader in saves, would register a then-season-high nine stops to pick up her fourth win in the cage.
In a classic match played on Sept. 23 in Knoxville, Clemson rookie forward Paige Ledford scored a Golden Goal with 4:27 remaining in the second 15-minute sudden-death overtime session to lift the seventh-rated Tigers over Tennessee, 4-3. Despite being out-shot, 32-13, CU overcame a one-goal deficit on three different occasions to notch the victory. With the setback, the Lady Vols fell to 4-2 and saw an end to their three-match winning streak.
The Orange received terrible news just over five minutes into the match, as Wilkinson suffered a broken left foot that would sideline her for the remainder of the regular season. The home team was able to strike first, as freshman midfielder Lyndsey Patterson netted her first career goal at 19:42 off assists by Patrick and Nault.
The contest remained 1-0 in favor of Tennessee into halftime, as the Lady Vols had a 10-4 edge in shots. A turning point in the match came at 45:56, when Katie Carson thwarted a penalty kick taken by Patrick. Soon after, the Tigers would answer at 48:41 on a breakaway goal by junior Deliah Arrington to knot the match at 1-1. Patrick would help UT re-claim the lead at 64:44 with her second score of the campaign off a nifty pass from Flamini. Once again, #7 Clemson notched the equalizer, this time a mere 1:44 after Tennessee had moved in front.
Flamini provided the Lady Vols with a 3-2 cushion at 71:03 with her fourth goal of the campaign, set up by the duo of Patrick and Patterson. As UT aimed to protect its tenuous advantage in pursuit of its first-ever win over a Top 10 team, Arrington played the role of spoiler with her second tally of the afternoon with 3:12 remaining in regulation.
Neither Tennessee nor Clemson could find the back of the net during the initial 15-minute overtime session, despite the Lady Vols carrying the play with seven shots on goal, compared to zero for the Tigers. Ledford grabbed the hero's mantle with her fourth goal of the season from classmate Sarah Turner at 115:33. In the heartbreaker, Patrick wound up tying the UT record of 12 shots on net established by Allison Campbell on Oct. 9, 1998, at East Tennessee State.
Before a record crowd of 3,042 fans at the UT Soccer Complex on Sept. 26, defending national champion #1 North Carolina used a pair of goals apiece from senior All-American Jena Kluegel and freshman Anne Morrell to turn back the 16th-ranked Lady Vols, 5-2. Despite its second straight setback to an Atlantic Coast Conference foe, the Orange became the first team to score on UNC, as Patrick converted a penalty kick at 74:09 and Laughridge scored off a deflection at 87:44. UT wound up as one of just two schools to score more than one goal versus the 'Heels in '01.
Following a shot taken by Patrick, goalkeeper Jenni Branam was whistled for a foul inside of the box, resulting in a penalty kick. The Lady Vol junior forward, who transferred to UT from North Carolina in January 2001 after earning a pair of NCAA championship rings, then stepped up to the hash mark and powered a shot into the center of the net for her third goal of the season. Patrick's score was the first surrendered by the Tar Heels in 410:32, dating back to the final of the 2000 Women's College Cup.
Coming off a 7-2 performance in the SEC race last season, UT kicked off its nine-match SEC slate on the Plains against Auburn on Oct. 5. The Tigers notched a pair of goals 64 seconds apart in the second half to break a scoreless tie and used the outstanding performance of freshman goalkeeper Megan Rivera to deliver a 2-1 triumph over the 16th-rated Lady Vols. Rivera would later be chosen as the league's Freshman of the Year.
UT controlled play during most of the first half, including a 6-3 advantage in shots, but all that showed on the scoreboard were a couple of zeros. Auburn's initial goal resulted from the hosts' lone corner kick of the evening at 64:39, before the Tigers struck again for a 2-0 cushion at 65:54. Still with 25 minutes remaining in regulation, the Lady Vols attempted to crank up the offensive pressure on Rivera and the Tiger defense. However, the net-minder would prove to be in the right place at the right time for most of the evening, registering a career-high 11 saves. Tennessee finally broke through to avert the shutout at 88:30, when Patrick split a pair of Tiger defenders after taking a pass from Laughridge and beat Rivera with a low shot.
Clinging to the tenuous one-goal advantage with 90 seconds left in the match, the Tigers withstood a furious Lady Vol rally to ensure the victory. With just under 10 seconds remaining, Patrick created a shot off a cross from Lockaby that Rivera was able to snare moments before the final horn sounded.
Two days later, Dowling riddled the Alabama defense for a hat trick, helping the Lady Vols even their SEC mark at 1-1 with a 4-0 shutout of the Crimson Tide. Stevens made seven saves to keep the nation's top-ranked offense off the scoreboard and earn her second shutout of the year.
Bouncing back from its upset loss at Auburn, Kelly's squad came out quickly, tallying a season-high three goals within the first 22 minutes. Dowling connected at 14:58 off assists from fellow rookies Flamini and Lockaby to provide UT with a 1-0 lead. Close to five minutes later, senior Sharon Holmes threaded a pass to Dowling just outside of the 18 that the Carmel, Ind., native hammered past keeper Courtney Rogers for a 2-0 Lady Vol advantage. Exactly two minutes later, Patrick pounced on a loose rebound after a shot taken by Lockaby.
The Crimson Tide prevented the visitors from padding their lead until 75:54, when Dowling beat substitute goalie Lauren Bowen on a corner kick taken by Flamini. The opportunity was created as the cross came from Bowen's left side right to Dowling's feet. From there, Dowling angled a low shot past the sprawling keeper for her sixth goal. In addition, the hat trick represented UT's first versus an SEC opponent since Campbell ripped South Carolina for four scores in a 4-2 Lady Vol triumph in Knoxville on Oct. 17, 1999. Flamini notched her second multiple-assist effort, the other being two helpers in a 4-2 decision at James Madison.
Playing in a steady downpour on Oct. 12, the 25th-ranked Lady Vols used two first-half goals and a tenacious defense to hold off Eastern Division rival Vanderbilt, 2-1. The triumph enabled Tennessee to secure its initial win at the Vanderbilt Soccer Field in three attempts. Patrick opened the scoring at 13:24 off a cross from the left wing by Patterson. Tallying her sixth goal of the campaign, the Pleasanton, Calif., native matched a Lady Vol record by scoring in her fifth straight contest. The forward tied the standard established by Campbell between Sept. 18-Oct. 4, 1998.
The Commodores responded with the equalizer at 26:55 on a long shot by rookie Molly Wilson from 35 yards out.
Soon after, VU sophomore goalkeeper Stacee Sproul preserved the 1-1 deadlock at 29:37 by thwarting a penalty kick taken by Patrick. Continuing to pressure Vandy's defensive corps, the Lady Vols were rewarded at 39:04 when Dowling one-timed a shot from 12 yards out for the go-ahead score. Patterson recorded the helper for the first multiple-assist effort of her career.
 Coach Angela Kelly lead the Lady Vols to the best season in school history. |
Patrick tallied a Golden Goal with just 2:03 remaining in the second sudden-death overtime period to give the Lady Vols a dramatic 1-0 victory over East foe #24 Kentucky in Lexington on Oct. 14. The triumph enabled Tennessee to complete its first-ever road sweep at Vanderbilt and Kentucky, two venues where Kelly's club had never won before this season.
The winning score developed after a Lady Vol corner kick was cleared by UK to defender Tracy Swibas, who sent a high floating ball to the chest of Dowling. The midfielder then gained possession and, with goalkeeper Beth Wells bearing down on her, flicked a pass to Patrick. From there, the forward rammed home her second match-winner of 2001 into the center of the net. In addition, Patrick's seventh goal of the campaign marked her sixth consecutive match with a goal, establishing a new Lady Vol record. Stevens registered a career-high 12 saves en route to her third shutout of the year.
The match-winner at 117:57 represented the latest Tennessee had ever scored to emerge victorious. Previously, Campbell had connected at 106:55 on Oct. 22, 1999, to lift her squad to a 2-1 decision at Ole Miss. Additionally, the win snapped a stretch of nine straight 1-0 defeats for the Big Orange, dating back to a 1-0 conquest of Radford on Oct. 22, 1997.
Now rated 21st, the Lady Vols posted perhaps the biggest triumph in the program's existence on Oct. 19, as Patrick connected on another Golden Goal at 96:16 to help Tennessee halt #8 Florida's SEC record 50-match winning streak, 2-1. The Gators had not fallen to a league opponent since suffering a 2-0 defeat against Vanderbilt on Sept. 14, 1997. In addition, UT had never upended a Top 10 foe or come out on top of its Eastern Division rival in six previous encounters.
With her second straight match-winner in sudden-death, Patrick extended her school-record goal-scoring run to seven matches.
Patterson opened the scoring a mere 29 seconds into match, the fastest score in UT's history. Patrick lofted a pass down the right wing to Patterson, who launched a shot from 20 yards out that eluded Gator junior netminder Jordan Kellgren. The visitors from Gainesville answered at 15:11, when senior All-American Abby Wambach headed in a corner kick taken by sophomore Casey Hamel. The teams fought to a stalemate through the first half, with the Lady Vols holding a slim 6-5 edge in shots. The score remained 1-1 over the final 45 minutes, although each team had a couple of decent opportunities. Florida freshman midfielder Christine Johnson slammed an attempt off the cross bar during the 65th minute, while Patterson's shot at the end of regulation came agonizingly close to being a match-winner for Tennessee.
In the extra session, Flamini fed classmate Lockaby, who then carried the ball down the left side of the field near the corner kick area. With a pair of UF defenders blocking her path, she delivered a well-timed cross to the box. From there, Patrick maneuvered her way though traffic to head a shot past the sprawling Kellgren.
Everywhere people turned during the week of Oct. 22-28 in the women's soccer world, there seemed to be some mention of the dynamic junior. As a result of her dramatic header 6:16 into overtime that enabled UT to topple the Gators, the forward was named as the league's Player of the Week, the Lady Vol Athlete of the Week and she was chosen to Soccer America's and Soccer Buzz Magazine's Teams of the Week.
Before a crowd of 1,171 fans at the UT Soccer Complex on Oct. 21, the fifth-largest in school history, the the Orange overcame a 1-0 halftime deficit to post a 3-1 victory over South Carolina. With its fifth consecutive win, tying streaks between Sept. 13-Oct. 2, 1998 and Oct. 1-Oct. 20, 2000, Kelly's club boosted its mark to 9-4 overall and 5-1 in the SEC.
The visitors from Columbia got on the board first at 20:06 before the Lady Volunteers popped in the equalizer at 51:17, as Lockaby came flying through the air and deflected a cross into the net for her second goal of the campaign. Although Patrick failed to tally a goal for the first time since Sept. 20, a span of eight matches, she registered a point in her eighth contest in a row to extend her own standard.
Following a USC foul only 65 seconds after Lockaby had tied the match, Flamini hammered a direct kick to provide the Orange with a 2-1 advantage. Tennessee kept peppering Elise Matthews with more attempts, and UT's persistence was rewarded at 79:03, when a South Carolina player was whistled for a foul inside of the box and issued a yellow card, resulting in a penalty kick. Dowling stepped up to the hash mark and beat the net-minder to the left to give the Lady Vols a 3-1 cushion.
Playing in swirling winds and frigid temperatures on Oct. 26, the 16th-ranked Lady Vol soccer team used a pair of second-half goals to pull away from Western Division rival Arkansas, 3-1. With its team-record sixth triumph in a row, Tennessee (10-4/6-1 SEC) clinched a berth in the SEC Tournament for the fifth time in its six-year existence.
Patrick put the Orange on the board 8:31 into the match with a breakaway goal that was created by Laughridge. Strangely enough, the Lady'Backs tied the contest at 39:29 when a Lady Vol defender re-directed a shot past teammate Stevens for an own goal. Nault picked an opportune time for her first score of the season, as the midfielder connected at 53:34 on a shot from around 12 yards out on the left side. The assist on the play went to Patrick, who recorded her team-best seventh helper on the eventual match-winner. UT tacked on an insurance goal at 76:08, when Dowling headed in a corner kick taken by Patterson for the ninth tally of her rookie campaign.
The Lady Vols would celebrate their two seniors, Holmes and Kim Sgarlata, in fine fashion on Oct. 28, as the hosts topped LSU, 3-1, to elevate its mark to 11-4 overall and 7-1 in the SEC. The home team struck with a pair of goals 37 seconds apart in the first frame to sprint out to a quick 2-0 lead. Patrick made it 10 straight matches with a point at 7:04 with a laser just inside the box that landed in the top right corner of the net.
Moments later, Nault delivered her second goal in as many matches at 7:41 from 20 yards out on a feed from Holmes.
 Lyndsey Patterson tries to split a pair of North Carolina defenders.. |
Although Tennessee held the Tigers without a shot in the first half and managed 13 attempts of its own, the score remained 2-0 at the break. The Purple and Gold later trimmed the deficit in half at 78:22, but UT countered with 6:33 remaining, as Flamini launched a direct kick past Tiger goalkeeper Robyn Desmoreaux following an LSU foul.
With a share of the SEC title on the line, the #16 Lady Vols dropped a 2-1 decision to the University of Georgia on Nov. 2. In suffering the loss, Tennessee was relegated to the fourth seed for the 2001 SEC Tournament after being tied with the Bulldogs for second in the Eastern Division behind Florida. Facing a 2-0 deficit at the start of the second half, Patrick got the visitors on the board early in the period when she scooted in a ball from from Dowling and Nault past UGA's keeper Ashley Lindley. However, the Orange could not muster the equalizer.
Three Lady Vols were chosen to the All-SEC women's soccer teams released at the league's annual banquet before the SEC Tournament began. Flamini and Patrick became the first pair of Tennessee players to be selected to the first team in the same season, while Dowling earned a spot on the second team.
Flamini etched her name into Lady Vol soccer lore by becoming the initial player to be chosen first-team All-SEC in her debut season. In conference action, she totaled seven points on two goals and three assists. The midfielder dished out a couple of helpers during her squad's 4-0 blanking of Alabama on Oct. 7 and was credited with an assist on Patrick's Golden Goal that snapped Florida's 50-match league winning streak on Oct. 19. She chipped with scores in victories over South Carolina and LSU, with her tally against the Gamecocks being the eventual match-winner.
In her first season at Tennessee, Patrick ranked among the SEC leaders in scoring throughout the campaign. The striker occupied the second spot in league statistics in points (20) and goals (eight) and was third with four assists in the nine conference matchups. With 31 points on 12 goals and seven assists, she now holds the top spot in points and goals in a single season by a Lady Vol junior.
After a spectacular stretch in which she led the Orange and White in scoring and brought her squad to the cusp of a first-ever SEC regular-season title, Patrick was selected as the edsouth Athlete of the Month for October after extending her string of matches with a point to 11 in a row entering the SEC Tournament.
On the strength of 15 points on six goals and three assists, Dowling was a second-team All-SEC selection. The freshman, who serves as the captain of the U.S. Under-19 National Team, rated fourth in goals and fifth in points in conference action.
The trio of seniors Ellen Dean (Microbiology), Holmes (Anthropology) and Sgarlata (Finance) led five Lady Vols on to the 2001 SEC Women's Soccer Academic Honor Roll announced by SEC Commissioner Roy Kramer on Nov. 6. Sophomore Cameron Conway (Political Science) and Stevens (Sport Management) were also among the 107 student-athletes receiving that recognition. Dean, Holmes and Sgarlata were making their third straight appearances on the list, while Conway was chosen for the second consecutive year. Stevens, a transfer from the University of Massachusetts prior to last season, was a first-time recipient.
The Lady Vols' woes at the SEC Women's Soccer Tournament continued for another season on Nov. 8, as fourth-seeded Tennessee was eliminated by 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 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.
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 to put UT on the board. 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.
 2001 saw a return to the SEC Tournament. |
Kelly's club reduced the deficit to 3-2 by taking advantage of another Wildcat foul. This time, Flamini banged a shot from the right corner off a direct kick that eluded the UK keeper at 82:34. The two tallies for the midfielder marked her first multiple-goal effort as a Lady Vol.
A consistent member of the rankings, the Lady Vol soccer team was rewarded with an at-large berth into the 2001 NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament on Nov. 12. The 64-team field was announced over the FOX Sports Net affiliates as the team gathered at Coach Kelly's house. The squad learned that it was to head to Chapel Hill, N.C., for an opening-round encounter against Duke.
After four overtimes and 150 minutes of action on Nov. 16, the Lady Vols and the Blue Devils came down to penalty kicks in first-round NCAA Tournament action at Fetzer Field to see which club would advance to face top-ranked and defending national champion North Carolina on Sunday afternoon. Duke managed to connect on their first four attempts and used stellar goalkeeping by sophomore Thora Helgadottir en route to a 4-2 decision in penalty kicks. The match itself was tied, 1-1, but Duke wound up moving on in the bracket thanks to the successful effort on its kicks.
Seemingly hours before, Patrick gave her team a 1-0 advantage at 8:22 on a feed from Lockaby. The first-team All-SEC performer was making her first appearance back at Fetzer Field since she was a member of the Tar Heels in 1999 and 2000. The score would remain unchanged until 68:43, when Tennessee was whistled for a hand-ball infraction inside of the box, giving Duke a penalty kick that was successfully converted. From then on, the Lady Vols and Blue Devils could not crack each other's defense, resulting in the four 15-minute sudden-death sessions that could not produce any goals. Wilkinson, who suffered a broken left foot against Clemson on Sept. 23, made a valiant return to the lineup and gave Kelly's club several scoring chances and quality minutes.
After its season had concluded, the University of Tennessee women's soccer program learned that three of its players were named to the 2001 NSCAA Division I All-Central Regional Team released before the Women's College Cup. Dowling capped off a tremendous campaign by becoming the initial Tennessee player to be selected to the first team. Meanwhile, UT's duo of first-team All-SEC performers, Flamini and Patrick, earned second-team accolades.
Prior to this year, Tennessee had only had a total of four players ever named to the regional team since the inception of its program in 1996. In fact, the most UT players named to an All-Central Regional Team in one year had been two, in 1998 and then equaled last season.
