University of Tennessee Athletics
2002 SOCCER SEASON IN REVIEW
June 04, 2003 | Soccer
Returning all 11 starters from a squad that had advanced the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history in 2001, Head Coach Angela Kelly must have known that her third Lady Vol soccer team was no longer going to sneak up on any opponents. The prognosticators supported this assessment as well, listing Tennessee among each of the Top 25 preseason polls: 14th in Soccer Buzz Magazine, 15th in Soccer America, 19th in Soccer Times and 20th in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/adidas version.
 Kayla Lockaby |
When all was said and done, the Orange and White turned in a season filled with enough highlights to overshadow almost everything that had been accomplished over the first six years of the program. En route to a Top 10 national ranking and an 18-6-1 overall record, Tennessee reached the Sweet 16 of the Women's College Cup, claimed its first Eastern Division and Southeastern Conference Tournament championships, contributed one of 15 finalists for the Missouri Athletic Club's Hermann Trophy awarded to the top Division I player (senior Kim Patrick) and possessed one of the captains of the World Champion Under-19 United States National Team (sophomore Keeley Dowling).
The Lady Vols kicked off their campaign on the road against No. 21 Duke on Aug. 30 with revenge firmly on their minds, as the Blue Devils had ousted them on penalty kicks in the opening round of NCAA play the previous November after four overtime periods. However, it was a sense of d?j? vu for the Knoxville clan, as Duke connected on a Golden Goal to notch a 2-1 victory. Making her return to the lineup after being sidelined with a broken leg during the '01 season, senior Ellen Dean turned in a solid performance in net, which included several key saves late in regulation. Another UT starter returning to form following an injury, junior forward Rhian Wilkinson, set up Patrick with the tying goal that sent the encounter into extra time.
Remaining in Atlantic Coast Conference country for its second match two days later, UT used a pair of tallies four minutes apart in the second frame to edge N.C. State, 2-1, at SAS Stadium in Raleigh. The victory represented the Lady Vols' first in nine road tilts versus ACC competition. With her squad trailing by a goal in the 70th minute, sophomore Lindsey Wiest connected on a loose rebound for her first collegiate goal. Soon after, a corner kick for the Big Orange resulted in the go-ahead tally, as sophomore Sue Flamini's cross was placed near the feet of classmate Kayla Lockaby. The midfielder from Hamilton, Ohio, deked a Wolfpack player and feathered a pass to sophomore Lyndsey Patterson, who spun her defender and blasted a shot into the lower right for her first goal of 2002 and the initial match-winner of her career. The one-goal triumph would trigger a six-match winning streak for Kelly's team as it began its ascent in the ratings.
On their way back to Knoxville, the Lady Vols stopped at senior Cori Stevens' house in Greensboro, N.C., to watch their teammate Dowling in action at the FIFA Under-19 World Championships. Playing before 47,784 fans at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alberta, the UT defender played all 109 minutes as the United States stopped host Canada, 1-0, on a dramatic overtime score by Lindsay Tarpley. The triumph enabled the Americans to claim the inaugural world title.
 Keeley Dowling |
Making its home debut at the UT Soccer Complex versus Arkansas State on Sept. 6, the Orange used a balanced scoring attack to overwhelm the Lady Indians, 9-0. In remaining perfect in seven home openers, UT equaled the school record for goals in a match and created a new standard with six goals in the first half. Wilkinson tied her personal best with seven points on two goals and three assists, while Patterson and Wilkinson each tied the single-match mark with three helpers. Senior Jen Laughridge found the back of the net twice and contributed an assist, while rookie walk-on Miriam Bennett chipped in the final goal just hours after being added to the roster.
The offensive explosion continued for the Lady Vols when Murray State visited two days later, as Lockaby netted only the ninth hat trick in school history and Laughridge notched four points in a 6-1 thrashing of the Racers. Following a tremendous weekend in which she surpassed her entire offensive output from 2001 by registering nine points on four goals and one assist in only 75 minutes, Lockaby was named Lady Vol Athlete of the Week for the first time in her career.
Hitting the road for the Clemson/Nike Invitational over Sept. 13-15, the Lady Vols would claim the tournament title by dispatching Western Carolina (3-1) and the 12th-ranked Tigers (2-0). Powered by Patrick's first multiple-goal effort, a 33-4 dominance on the shot chart and a stout defensive effort that held the Catamounts without a shot during the first 51 minutes, Tennessee rolled to victory. In dishing out a couple of assists, Laughridge tied former teammate Kelly Berrall's school-record total of 25 helpers.
Forced to endure a four-hour delay caused by Tropical Storm Hanna, Kelly's charges made the wait worth their while with a blanking of Clemson for its biggest road triumph over a ranked foe at the time. In securing its fifth-straight win, UT snapped the home team's 11-match home winning streak and became the first SEC program to earn a win in Death Valley. In addition, Clemson had not been held scoreless at Riggs Field since a 1-0 setback to Richmond on Sept. 12, 1999. By setting up both of the Lady Vols' goals, scored by Lockaby and Patrick, Wilkinson was awarded the event's Offensive Most Valuable Player. In addition, Dean, Dowling and Lockaby earned spots on the all-tournament team.
Having risen to a program-best 12th in the polls, Tennessee needed a Golden Goal from senior Tara Minnax on Sept. 20 to avoid an upset at the hands of South Alabama. Although the Lady Vols racked up a 39-6 shot advantage, they were stymied repeatedly by Jaguar keeper Amber Angermeier, who made a school-record 17 saves. However, Patrick popped in the equalizer from Wilkinson with 23:54 left in regulation and Minnax found the back of the net just 45 seconds into sudden death to help the Orange improve to 6-1 overall.
 Tara Minnax and Sue Flamini |
In what shaped up to be the most challenging weekend in the program's existence, UT was now set to take on undefeated and second-ranked Stanford and defending national champion No. 7 Santa Clara as part of the Broncos' adidas Classic over Sept. 27-29. The Lady Vols gave the high-octane Cardinal all it could handle before yielding a pair of goals over the final 25 minutes to be on the short end of a 2-0 count. Against SCU, Wilkinson connected on a breakaway at 78:21 to help the visitors draw first blood before the Broncos answered right back with the equalizer 16 seconds later on a goal by All-American Leslie Osborne. The contest would shift to overtime but Osborne would grab the heroine's mantle when she delivered the Golden Goal at 94:28 to give the reigning champs a 2-1 decision. Despite its narrow losses to two Top 10 powers, UT placed Dowling and junior Marie-Eve Nault on the all-tournament squad.
Tennessee welcomed Western Division foes No. 20 Auburn and Alabama to Rocky Top at the outset of SEC play in early October and pocketed two more wins to improve to 8-3. The Lady Vols scored on their first three shots and erupted for four goals over the first 21:08 against the Tigers to claim their initial league outing for the first time since 1999. Patterson broke the game open with two goals on feeds from Patrick, who also poked home her team-leading seventh goal to give the hosts a 4-0 lead en route to a 4-2 decision. On Oct. 6, the No. 14 Orange and White snapped a 2-2 stalemate on a goal by Patrick with 12:07 left to subdue the Crimson Tide, 3-2. The victory halted UA's seven-match winning streak and pushed Kelly's club to 2-0 in SEC action. After helping UT to the weekend sweep, Patrick was chosen as the SEC Player of the Week, earned a berth on Soccer America's 11-member "Team of the Week" and was also named as the Lady Vol Athlete of the Week for the fourth time in her career. The forward became the first player from Tennessee to receive the league's weekly accolade more than once, as she had been recognized previously on Oct. 22, 2001.
Behind a solid defensive effort and a pair of second-half goals, the 13th-ranked Lady Vols registered the biggest road victory in school history with a 2-0 shutout of No. 7 Wake Forest on Oct. 9. The win was just the second over a Top 10 foe for Tennessee, with the first being a 2-1 overtime conquest of No. 8 Florida on Oct. 19, 2001. More importantly, Kelly's squad continued its best-ever start with its third-straight triumph to improve to 9-3 with its third defeat of an ACC team this year. Following a scoreless opening frame in which the clubs combined for just five shots, Laughridge put the visitors on the board at 52:34 with her fifth goal of the campaign and Patrick had a spectacular finish at 73:09 to provide added insurance. Dean recorded five stops, including several from point-blank range, to pitch arguably her biggest shutout.
Riding a wave of momentum and seeking to improve to 3-0 in conference activity, UT was bitten by the upset bug on Oct. 11, when in-state Vanderbilt made an early goal stand in a 1-0 win. The loss put the brakes on the Lady Vols' record nine-match winning streak at home and proved to be the lone setback in front of the home crowd during 2002. Before a season-high gathering of 1,178 fans at the UT Soccer Complex, the fifth largest in school history, the Orange rebounded from its defeat to the Commodores to deliver a 2-0 victory over Kentucky. The hosts parlayed a pair of second-half goals from Dowling and Patrick, as well as solid defense anchored by Dean, into their fourth shutout of the campaign. UT improved to 10-4 overall and also earned a measure of revenge after being eliminated in the opening round of the 2001 SEC Tournament by UK.
Following a three-match stretch in which she recorded two shutouts and surrendered just one goal in 270 minutes, Dean was chosen as the Lady Vol Athlete of the Week for the first time on Oct. 14. Claiming two victories in their three outings, including a shutout of the seventh-ranked Demon Deacons, kept the Lady Vols in the 13th spot within the Soccer America Top 25. However, the Big Orange soared a nation's best seven spots in the rankings issued by the NSCAA/adidas to advance from 21st to 14th.
Attempting to emerge victorious in Gainesville for the first time on Oct. 18, Tennessee instead found itself on the wrong side of a 2-1 margin when Florida's Christie Johnson tallied a Golden Goal with 34 seconds remaining in the first sudden-death session. The roles would be reversed a few months later, but on this night it was the Gator crowd who could bask in the glow of victory. Looking to get back on the winning track two days later in Columbia, the Lady Vols were saddled with a 1-1 tie at South Carolina to leave them 10-5-1 overall and 3-2-1 in the SEC.
Continuing its road swing, UT boarded the bus for a weekend in the Magnolia State for clashes with West opponents Mississippi State and Mississippi during the weekend of Oct. 25-27. Despite out-shooting the Bulldogs by an imposing 24-2 margin, the 16th-ranked Lady Vols needed a goal by Patrick with 21:43 left to escape with a 2-1 triumph. The assists on the match-winner were provided by Wilkinson and Laughridge, who moved past Berrall into the top spot on the career chart. Earlier, the crafty Canadian's sixth goal of the year enabled her to become the first UT player to reach 20 goals and 20 assists. Two days later, Lockaby supplied her first Golden Goal with 3:33 remaining in the second overtime to lift the visitors past the Rebels, 2-1. The helper from Wilkinson, who tallied her squad's initial goal, was her 13th of the fall, setting a new single-season mark. The victory locked up an SEC Tournament bid for Kelly's crew, now 12-5-1 and 5-2-1 in the league, and tied the Orange's win total for an entire campaign. Ironically, the event would be held between Nov. 7-10 at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium, foreshadowing fonder memories of Oxford.
 Kim Patrick |
After spearheading the Lady Vols' road sweep, Wilkinson was chosen as the SEC Player of the Week on Oct. 28. For her efforts, Wilkinson was also named as the Lady Vol Athlete of the Week for the third time in her career. Oddly enough, the forward figured in every one of UT's goals versus the Bulldogs and Rebels, with two goals and a couple of assists.
Entering its regular-season finale on Nov. 1, Tennessee found itself in a similar position as its previous encounter with Georgia - needing a win to secure the Eastern Division title and a favorable seed for the league's postseason event. After the Bulldogs had opened the scoring in the first half, Minnax finished a cross from Lockaby to square the match at a goal apiece at 68:10. As an anxious crowd and a regional television audience on Comcast Sports Southeast looked on, 90 minutes of regulation were not enough to determine a winner. In overtime, Nault sent a looping ball from just in front of UT's bench into the center of the field, where Wilkinson gained possession and created a breakaway chance. The forward came barreling up the middle and moved past a diving keeper to deposit her eighth goal of '02 into the net to trigger a wild celebration for the Big Orange. With the dramatic Golden Goal, Tennessee became the first school other than Florida to take home the East hardware.
Now rated 13th, Kelly had to ready her team for a daunting rematch with Georgia in the opening round of SECs. Prior to the start of the tournament, several accolades came pouring in for the Lady Vols. On Nov. 6, Patrick was announced as a finalist for the Hermann Trophy to become the first Lady Vol nominated for the prestigious award. As the lone player from the SEC included on the list, the forward from Pleasanton, Calif., led the Orange in scoring during both of her campaigns following a transfer from the University of North Carolina. Later that night, Dowling and Wilkinson achieved first-team All-SEC status, while Patrick was a second-team honoree. Dowling joined Allison Campbell as the lone Lady Vol to secure all-league kudos during her first two years and Wilkinson ranked second in the conference matches with 14 points on five goals and four assists to make All-SEC for the second time in three years. Patrick was an all-conference pick for the second straight year, on the strength of 13 points on four goals and five helpers in the nine SEC matchups.
Nault picked an opportune time to tally her initial goal of the season, as it proved to be the difference in UT's 1-0 nail-biter over the Red and Black at the SEC Tourney. The only offense in the outing resulted when Nault snared a Georgia clearing pass from the defensive zone and let loose a shot from around 30 yards out at 32:43. Kelly's defensive corps, consisting of Dowling, Laughridge, Nault and junior Carie Swibas, would allow the Bulldogs a mere four shots and gave Dean a relatively easy path to her fourth shutout. With their first-ever postseason triumph, the second-seeded Lady Vols now advanced to the semifinals against No. 6 Kentucky.
The next night, Patterson connected on a Golden Goal 4:59 into the first extra session to propel Tennessee into the SEC final for the first time with another 1-0 thriller. Remarkably, the Orange and White had now strung together five straight wins, each by a single goal, to improve to 15-5-1. In overtime, Lockaby arched a cross from the left wing into the box to Patterson. From there, the UT striker took one touch with her left foot and then drilled an attempt with her right foot that the netminder could not contain. Once again, the Lady Vol defense played a crucial role by holding the Wildcat offense to five shots and zero goals.
 Rhiann Wilkinson |
Meeting six-time defending champion Florida in the title match on Sunday afternoon, Nov. 10, the Lady Vols and Gators engaged in a confrontation on SEC-TV that would not be settled until seconds remained before a shootout. Although they managed just one shot over the first 71 minutes, the Gators certainly made the attempt count, as Crystal Frimpong's score at 8:41 put UF in the driver's seat. Tennessee continued to pepper first-team All-SEC goalie Jordan Kellgren and its persistence was rewarded at 77:25, when Laughridge's notched the equalizer. With Kelly's squad carrying the majority of play and Kellgren turning in one amazing save after another, it appeared that penalty kicks might be necessary to crown the winner. Following a UF foul to Kellgren's left with 1:02 left in the second 15-minute sudden-death period, Flamini angled a cross into the box that Dowling headed in for the Golden Goal for the dramatic 2-1 win.
With the victory, bringing the first SEC Championship back to Knoxville in a sport other than basketball since 1990, UT earned the league's automatic berth into the 64-team NCAA Tournament field. Dowling, Laughridge and Wilkinson became the first Lady Vols to be selected to the all-tournament team, while Dowling completed the trifecta of earning Lady Vol Athlete of the Week in addition to being placed on the "Teams of the Week" issued by Soccer America and Soccer Buzz.
Monday, Nov. 11, proved to be another watershed day for Tennessee soccer. Not only did the Orange climb to 11th in the national rankings, it learned that it would be hosting the first two rounds of the Women's College Cup on its own turf. Possessing an overall mark of 16-5-1, the Lady Vols discovered that Southern Conference Tourney winner Furman would present the first obstacle. Even after coming off the emotionally draining win over Florida, UT cranked up its offense and employed a stingy defense on its way to a 5-0 shutout of the Lady Paladins. In extending their unbeaten streak to a school-record eight matches, the Lady Vols denied the Purple a shot at its 12th win in a row. Flamini busted out of the offensive doldrums with her first two goals of the campaign and Wilkinson notched two more assists to set up a second-round clash with No. 22 Cincinnati on Nov. 17.
On a raw afternoon at the UT Soccer Complex, the Orange would tangle with the Bearcats for the right to advance to the Sweet 16. UC entered the match having surrendered only 13 goals in 23 matches, while the hosts looked to extend their record-tying seven-match winning skein. The Conference USA Tournament champions got on the board first at 20:39 and the score would remain unchanged until Dowling skied to head in a corner kick from Flamini at 63:43. With the specter of overtime looming yet again, Lockaby and Patterson joined forces for the deciding score with 4:59 showing on the clock to help the Lady Vols survive and advance. Patterson sent a cross from the right wing that her classmate was able to corral for her team-leading fourth match-winner of '02.
Having advanced to the third round of the NCAA Women's College Cup for the first time, the 11th-ranked Lady Vols would now encounter an opponent that was quite familiar with postseason success, second-rated 16-time NCAA champion North Carolina. The visit to Fetzer Field on Nov. 23 was extra special for Kelly, a 1994 UNC graduate who earned four national championship rings as a player under Anson Dorrance between 1991-94, and Patrick, who competed for the 'Heels during the 1999 and 2000 campaigns and was a member of two NCAA title-winners before transferring to Tennessee.
 Coach Kelly with the team |
Before a boisterous throng of 3,051 fans, including members of the Lady Vol Basketball team getting ready to meet top-ranked Duke the next day, UT struck first on a goal by Minnax at 18:11 to gain the early momentum. However, the Tar Heels would net three unanswered tallies and hold the Orange to a season-low three shots to claim a 3-1 decision. UNC would later advance to the Final Four for the 21st-straight year before being downed by Santa Clara, 2-1, in the national semifinal.
Two weeks later, the Lady Vols placed Dowling and Wilkinson on the NSCAA Division I All-Central Region Team. Dowling continued to reap the rewards of a phenomenal season by becoming the initial Tennessee player to be selected to the first team for two straight years. Meanwhile, UT's other first-team All-SEC performer earned a berth on the second team. Prior to this year, only one Lady Vol had been selected to the regional team more than once in her career, as Allison Campbell earned third-team recognition in both 1998 and 1999. Dowling had now picked up first-team honors in both of her seasons at Tennessee, while Wilkinson improved to the second squad after earning third-team kudos as a rookie in '00.
Dowling reached another milestone when she was named to the 2002 NSCAA/adidas Division I All-America Team released in early December. One of 12 players selected to the organization's second squad, Dowling became the initial Lady Vol to achieve All-America status since the program began competition in 1996. The defender later headlined a quartet of Lady Vol soccer players included within the year-end awards released by Soccer Buzz Magazine. Dowling added to her cache of honors when she was selected as a first-team All-American and a first-team All-Central Region choice by the publication. Wilkinson joined her teammate as a first-team All-Central pick, while Lockaby and Patrick were chosen to the third team.
The Lady Vols were rewarded for their finest season by being included in the Top 10 of the final polls released by the NSCAA/adidas and Soccer Buzz Magazine. The Big Orange established a slew of single-season records last fall: victories (18), longest unbeaten streak (nine), longest home winning streak (nine), most overtime matches (nine), longest winning streak (eight) and best home record (9-1), in addition to picking up its first triumphs within both the SEC and NCAA events. Proving to be as successful in the classroom as on the field, 13 student-athletes from Rocky Top were named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll.
 Ellen Dean |
In late April, Wilkinson registered another significant achievement for the Lady Vol soccer team when she participated with the Canadian National Team in a friendly against the United States National Team at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. The forward saw 23 minutes of action to earn the distinction of being the second Tennessee player to compete on the highest level of international competition. Kendyl Michner (1997-99) represented the Mexican National Team at the 1999 Women's World Cup.
With a bevy of talented players coming to campus this summer, Coach Kelly and the Lady Vols should be primed and ready for another run at postseason glory. Having drawn close to 800 spectators for a preseason scrimmage against the WUSA's Atlanta Beat, and boasting a home schedule replete with ranked foes, anticipation for the 2003 season should reach a fever pitch as Tennessee aims for its third NCAA Tournament in a row.
