University of Tennessee Athletics
2004 LADY VOL SOCCER SEASON PREVIEW
August 24, 2004 | Soccer
Aug. 24, 2004
| "Charting a Winning Course" | ||
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When Head Coach Angela Kelly took over the helm of the University of Tennessee's soccer program prior to the 2000 campaign, she inherited a squad that had yet to claim a postseason match or advance to the NCAA Tournament. The genesis of her rebuilding effort focused on bringing in the right mix of student-athletes who could help the Lady Volunteers ascend to unattained levels of success. Three-straight NCAA appearances, including back-to-back berths in the Sweet 16 of the Women's College Cup, as well as consecutive Southeastern Conference Eastern Division and Tournament crowns, are evidence of Kelly's vision in "Charting a Winning Course" for Tennessee soccer.
If there was a defining moment when UT began to change its fortunes on the pitch, it can be traced to the arrival of the current senior class, which comprised the fifth-best recruiting haul according to Soccer Buzz Magazine in 2001. The numbers certainly emphasize this fact, as the Orange was 49-48-2 (.505) between the seasons of 1996 and 2000 and finished higher than fourth in the SEC East on just one occasion, Kelly's inaugural season. Over the past three years, the Lady Vols have accumulated an overall mark of 46-17-4 (.716) and a 20-5-2 (.778) showing in league play - finishing among the top 25 each time and carving out their own niche on the collegiate soccer landscape. Kelly and her assistants, Samantha Baggett and Scott Blount, now have their sights set on guiding their team toward another step in the program's development, further advancement toward a berth in the Women's College Cup. Bolstered by the return of 12 letterwinners, including eight starters, from a squad that swept all of the SEC hardware for the first time in 2003, Tennessee appears to have the talent in place to continue its upward progression. Adding a cache of six talented newcomers should point the Lady Vols toward achieving their fourth NCAA trip in a row this fall. Last season, UT climbed all the way to seventh within the national rankings and achieved the "Triple Crown" from the SEC for the initial time; grabbing the Eastern Division, regular-season and tournament championships on its way to the school's second third-round NCAA performance. Records continued to fall by the wayside, as the Orange finished 17-5-2 overall and established single-season standards for highest winning percentage (.750), longest unbeaten streak (12), most shutouts (12), fewest goals allowed (18), fewest number of defeats (five), best goals against average (0.73) and highest save percentage (.833). With one All-American, six All-Central Region recipients from Soccer Buzz and a total of five All-SEC performers back in the fold, optimism is running high in Big Orange Country. "I am really excited about the upcoming season for a number of reasons, mainly due to the fact that I have a wonderful group of young ladies with great personalities and a relentless work ethic," acknowledged Kelly. "In our program, we always appreciate any successes that we are able to achieve. However, there will never be any mention of past SEC Championships. We are starting from square one, integrating the freshmen into our system so we can all be on the same page."
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| FORWARDS | ||
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Although Tennessee bid farewell to its career leader in points and assists, current Canadian National Team member and three-time All-Central Region and All-SEC forward Rhian Wilkinson, the cupboard was not left bare. Leading the way up top will be senior Lyndsey Patterson, coming off a career year of her own in which she paced the offense with 26 points on 11 goals and four assists. Snagging second-team All-Central Region and second-team All-SEC acclaim, Patterson was an All-SEC Tournament pick and tallied the only goal in her club's 1-0 edging of Oklahoma to begin NCAA action.
Coach Kelly is confident that a trio of freshmen can provide offensive punch immediately for the Orange and White. Lindsay Brauer helped Seabreeze (Fla.) High School to the Class 4A Championship match during the spring of 2004, when she totaled a single-season record of 69 goals. Ironically, she ended her prep career with 162 goals to eclipse school standards previously held by current Lady Vol assistant coach Baggett. Fully recovered from a torn anterior cruciate ligament suffered during the preseason last August at UT, Emily Redberg is eager to begin her college career after a year spent observing from the sidelines. A three-time all-conference selection at Champlin Park (Minn.) High School, she snared all-state honorable mention accolades in both 2000 and 2001 before achieving all-state status as a senior. In her final campaign, she was chosen to the NSCAA/adidas All-Midwest team, earned second-team All-Metro honors and was one of four players named to the all-star squad at the Senior Classic Invitational. Genna Gorman earned her fourth-straight all-conference accolade at Wheat Ridge (Colo.) High School in 2003 and joined Brauer in the recent McDonald's High School All-American Game held in Carson, Calif. Gorman paced her team in scoring each season of her prep career and collected honorable mention all-state kudos as a sophomore and senior. Sophomore Kristen Doukakis started 19 matches for the Lady Vols as a freshman and contributed eight points on two goals and four assists, numbers which should increase this time around. A pair of 2003 Academic All-SEC recipients, senior Mimi Couns and junior Talia Wright, are also aiming to crack the Lady Vol rotation. A local product from Farragut, Couns participated in a career-high 11 matches last season and registered her first-ever point with an assist during the 5-2 win at UNLV. Meanwhile, Wright is working her way back from a knee injury sustained during the spring workouts after participating in 11 outings in '03. "Depending on the system we decide to play on any given day, we could see numerous combinations of forward lines within our roster," said Kelly. "This is an athletic position for us, and I look for all of the forwards to contribute significantly this season. As I have been known to say in previous years, we must be focused in the attacking third when we make the final pass that leads to a scoring opportunity."
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| MIDFIELDERS | ||
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A proven commodity for the Lady Vols will be their midfield, which returns three players who have been recognized by the SEC, as well as three other letterwinners who have drawn starting assignments during their tenures. Considered the heart and soul of the Big Orange, Kayla Lockaby looks to elevate her game to an even higher level as a senior. The Hamilton, Ohio, native claimed a share of the team's Most Valuable Player accolade for the third-consecutive year in '03 and is tied for second on the school's list for match-winning goals (seven). Having shown a penchant for rising to the occasion, four of Lockaby's six goals last fall came against league competition, including the eventual winner versus Florida in mid-October on SEC-TV. Another student-athlete primed to conclude her career with a bang is senior Sue Flamini, who accomplished the trifecta of reaping first-team Freshman All-America, first-team All-Central Region and first-team All-SEC honors during a phenomenal rookie season in 2001, when she was one of 12 finalists for Soccer Buzz's Freshman of the Year. Flamini handed out a personal-high eight assists last season and was one of the four UT selections to the SEC All-Tournament squad. The standout from Cranford, N.J., also equaled the existing single-match mark with three helpers in a 4-1 victory at Kentucky.
Etching her name into Lady Vol lore as the initial Central Region Freshman of the Year from Soccer Buzz, Ali Christoph hopes to continue her progression as a rising performer on the national scene as a sophomore. Second on the Lady Vols with 22 points on six goals and a team-best 10 assists, a figure that rated second in the SEC last season, Christoph was a second-team Freshman All-American, a member of the inaugural SEC All-Freshman Team and contributed a point in all three outings during UT's successful defense of its SEC Tournament title. Hampered by a leg injury for the majority of her freshman season, Jenny Jeffers is being counted on to provide a spark in her second year at Tennessee. Although she recorded just a pair of starts as a rookie, the Lake Zurich, Ill., native provided one of the defining moments of the campaign when she converted the deciding penalty kick in her squad's heart-stopping shootout triumph over Florida in the SEC Tournament title tilt. Her other start came in the 1-0 conquest of Georgia in the second round of NCAA action at the UT Soccer Complex. Seniors Kristin McGrath and Ashley Dawes are expected to provide leadership by example, on and off the field. The duo will also offer a couple of viable options on the pitch for Coach Kelly. The only two-sport athlete in the Lady Vol Athletics Department, competing for the nationally-ranked swimming and diving program between November and March, McGrath garnered all-tournament honors at the First Tennessee Bank Classic last September during a campaign in which she established career bests in matches played (22) and started (14) and assists (two). Meanwhile, Dawes looks to return from a back injury that sidelined her for the entire 2003 season. "Once again, I think that people will see many different shapes and formations coming out of our midfield," noted Kelly. "We naturally would love to have an attacking approach from our players, including Kayla and Ali, who love to bring themselves forward to be involved in the offense. This year, I look to put more emphasis on the defensive presence of our midfielders, a style where Jenny could step right in. "The midfield is the heart of our team, and this group of young ladies possesses the best work rate of any group I have coached thus far. This is the part of Sue's game that she has developed the most over the past two years, making her a more complete player. I am looking forward to seeing how she leads us this fall."
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| DEFENDERS | ||
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After surrendering a program-low 18 goals in 24 matches and limiting its opponents to a mere 8.2 shots per outing last year, the Lady Vol defensive corps add a trio of rookies to a contingent that features a National Player of the Year candidate and a 2003 All-Freshman Central Region selection from Soccer Buzz Magazine. The most decorated player in school history, senior Keeley Dowling, aims to conclude her collegiate career with a flourish. Having represented the United States Under-21 National Team that claimed the gold medal with four straight shutouts at the Nordic Cup in July, Dowling is on the watch list for the Missouri Athletic Club's Hermann Trophy and is on Soccer Buzz's Elite 12 All-American squad. The reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Year and first-ever Central Region Player of the Year recipient from Tennessee, the Carmel, Ind., native has achieved All-SEC and All-Central Region status three straight times and is the only All-American women's soccer player from UT - an accomplishment she has earned twice.
"With the experience that Keeley has acquired on the international level, I feel very confident in our back-line," stated Kelly. "She is such a great leader on the field that even integrating new personnel is that much easier because she is coaching and teaching while she is playing." Joining Dowling as the foundation in the back is sophomore Melissa Amado, who started 23 matches in her debut season. A member of Canada's Under-16, Under-17 and Under-19 National Teams, the stalwart from Surrey, British Columbia, appears ready and willing to fill part of the void created by the graduation of starters Marie-Eve Nault and Carie Swibas. Hailing from the soccer hotbed of Memphis, Tenn., Erica Griffin concluded her career at Germantown High School in style, attaining all-state status and drawing praise as a Player of the Year finalist by the Memphis Commercial Appeal. On her way to Offensive MVP honors last fall, Griffin totaled 37 points on 14 goals and nine assists for the Lady Red Devils, including seven match-winners. A three-time All-Metro and two-time all-region recipient, Griffin snared the Most Valuable Player hardware on Germantown's state championship squad of 2001. "Melissa has come into the season very focused and fit and will be a mainstay on the back-line next to Keeley," said Kelly. "She still has many more levels in her game but is working hard to get there. Extremely coachable, Erica has been a pleasant surprise during the preseason, soaking up all of the information. Her mentality, coupled with her athleticism, is going to allow her to contribute significantly this fall." Freshmen Hayley Prendergast and Amanda Watts will also throw their names into the defensive mix for Coach Kelly and her staff. The first Lady Vol soccer player hailing from the Bay State, Prendergast was a three-time Patriot League All-Star at Hingham High School and a member of the Stars of Massachusetts club team that was a Region I semifinalist and finished ranked fifth in the country. Fans of Tennessee football might remember hearing the name Johnny Watts frequently during the 1977-79 seasons, as Amanda's father earned three varsity letters playing for Head Coach Johnny Majors. Now her turn to don the Orange and White, Watts was a two-time captain at Duluth (Ga.) High School and a member of the Atlanta United Freedom Gold club team. "It is my belief that you have to possess a certain mentality to play defense, and each of my defenders shares a similar mindset," said Kelly. "I look for them to be a solid, cohesive unit with a good tactical understanding of the game in front of them. Keeley and Melissa will serve as our anchors and be surrounded by several talented newcomers."
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| GOALKEEPERS | ||
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Entering the 2003 campaign, Tennessee did not have an established presence in net and faced many unanswered questions about the position. Fortunately for the Big Orange, current junior Vanessa Phillips-Bosshart stepped into the role and put to rest any lingering doubts about the starter between the pipes.
In her first season guarding the cage, the Vernon, Conn., native posted school records and was among the league leaders with a dozen shutouts and a meager goals against average of 0.73. Not only did she deliver consecutive blankings of Oklahoma and Georgia during the NCAA Tournament, powering the Lady Vols into the Sweet 16 for the second-year in a row, Phillips-Bosshart allowed just one even-strength goal in six postseason appearances. She also became the first keeper from Rocky Top to garner SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors last October after holding Western Division rivals Arkansas and LSU scoreless in her club's weekend road sweep. "Vanessa is playing very well right now following a strenuous and productive summer in which she gained valuable experience by working six Soccer Plus Goalkeeping Camps," stated Kelly. "I have complete confidence in her tending goal for us. We are trying to encourage her to become more vocal, a characteristic she has improved upon since our spring season." After waiting patiently on the sidelines behind her teammate, sophomore Kirby Zwickel looks to earn some playing time this fall. A four-time Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference selection who earned all-state accolades twice and was voted honorable mention the other two occasions, the Hoosier State native also collected all-district kudos three times.
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| SCHEDULE | ||
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Another grueling slate assembled by Coach Kelly will challenge the Lady Vols and hopefully ready the team toward securing a fourth-straight NCAA Tournament berth. Tennessee will meet eight programs that reached last year's NCAA event, including three teams that finished in the final National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll: No. 1 North Carolina, No. 8 Florida and No. 19 Duke. The seniors will be looking to become the first class that has advanced to NCAAs all four years of their careers. "We are very excited to open the season at home against Duke," said Kelly. "We are also looking forward to playing a strong non-conference schedule and having North Carolina back on our campus. With seven other 2003 NCAA Tourney teams on there and the Southeastern Conference being ranked second in last season's Ratings Percentage Index, this will be one of the toughest schedules we have assembled." Tennessee will kick off its ninth season of competition at home when Atlantic Coast Conference power Duke visits the UT Soccer Complex on Aug. 27. Following their meeting with the Blue Devils, who advanced to the second round of NCAA play last November, the Orange will head to the Pacific Northwest for contests at Pac-10 foes Washington (Sept. 3) and Washington State (Sept. 5).
The Big Orange welcomes a top-notch field into Knoxville for the First Tennessee Lady Vol Classic over Sept. 10-12. SEC counterpart Mississippi State will meet Southern California to begin the tourney on Sept. 10, with the hosts taking on defending national champion North Carolina in the nightcap. The Tar Heels posted a 27-0-0 overall record last year and secured their 18th national championship in the last 23 years by not allowing a goal in six NCAA Tournament outings. "It's always special for me to face my alma mater," said Kelly. "I still maintain great friendships with their coaching staff that are very dear to me, and I will never shy away from playing the best opposition. If we want to be the best, we have to play and prepare ourselves against the best competition whenever possible. I always joke with Anson (Dorrance) that he can't retire until I beat him." Two days later, MSU and the Tar Heels will tangle before Tennessee wraps up the event against the Women of Troy. Soon after, UT will travel to the University of Richmond for a Thursday night clash on Sept. 16 and will conclude its non-conference slate by entertaining UNLV of the Mountain West Conference on Sept. 19. The Lady Vols will travel to Mississippi State and Ole Miss over Sept. 24-26 to begin the balanced 11-match SEC schedule that will debut this fall. During the regular season, UT blanked the Bulldogs, 2-0, and succumbed to the Rebels, 1-0. However, Kelly's squad rebounded to oust UM in the semifinals of the SEC Tournament, 2-0. Eastern Division brethren Florida and South Carolina will be on the docket the following weekend, Oct. 1 and 3, respectively. The Lady Vols and Gators met in a trilogy of encounters last season and the team's rivalry is among the fiercest in the league. UT took the regular-season meeting with a 2-0 upset over fifth-ranked UF on Oct. 10, 2003, then captured the SEC Tournament title in Orange Beach, Ala., on Nov. 9 with a penalty-kick shootout victory after a pair of overtimes. However, the Gators would end the Orange and White's season in the third round of the NCAA Tournament, 1-0, in Gainesville on Nov. 22, by converting a penalty kick with 59 seconds remaining in regulation. UT held off the Gamecocks twice last year, 3-2 in mid-October at home, and 1-0 in the opening round of the SEC's postseason event. Kelly's team will welcome Arkansas (Oct. 8), LSU (Oct. 10), Vanderbilt (Oct. 15) and Kentucky (Oct. 17) as part of a four-match homestand. Tennessee will then head into enemy territory against reigning Western Division champion Auburn (Oct. 22) and Alabama (Oct. 24), before closing its regular season against Georgia on Oct. 29. The Orange handled the Lady'Backs (4-0), Tigers (3-0) and Wildcats (4-1) last fall and battled to a 2-2 stalemate versus the Commodores. UT did not face either Auburn or the Crimson Tide as part of the rotating schedule in '03. UGA will have revenge on its mind as well, as it endured a 1-0 regular-season defeat and a 1-0 setback to the Orange in round two of NCAA action. "Hopefully, our non-conference schedule will adequately prepare us for the rigors of SEC play, which has expanded to facing 11 programs. As far as I am concerned, although Florida is still the team to beat, our league is becoming more competitive. There never seem to be many blowouts, on any given day anyone in our conference can defeat anyone else. That is what makes me excited about coaching in the SEC." Once the regular season is completed, the Lady Vols will shift their attention toward the 2004 SEC Tournament to be contested from Nov. 4-7 in Orange Beach, Ala. UT has claimed the past two crowns in dramatic fashion against Florida, taking the 2002 title in double overtime and last season's trophy after seven rounds of penalty kicks. Having navigated their way through three NCAA appearances, previously uncharted territory before their arrival, the Lady Vol seniors realize that they have one unfulfilled journey in their collegiate careers: the program's first-ever trip to the Women's College Cup. For the University of Tennessee women's soccer program, "Charting a Winning Course" requires much more than 360 minutes in the NCAA Tournament in order to create an opportunity to traverse the 173 miles between Knoxville and Cary, N.C., the site of the National Championship. Such an achievement would be the culmination of several years of hard work, blood, sweat and tears toward a common goal.
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