UT Falls in 1st Round of SEC Tourney

Wednesday, November 7

Orange Beach, AL

University of Tennessee

13-4-2

South Carolina

14-5-2

Team	1	2	Final F
SOUTH CAROLINA	1	1	2
TENNESSEE	0	0	0

November 07, 2007 | Soccer

Box Score

Box Score | Box Score (PDF) | Quotes

ORANGE BEACH, Ala. ??? The University of Tennessee women???s soccer team saw its Southeastern Conference Tournament bid end early on Wednesday evening, falling to sixth-seeded South Carolina, 2-0, in the first round. The loss is the Lady Vols??? first in the opening round of the tournament since 2001.

???First, congratulations to South Carolina,??? UT Head Coach Angela Kelly. ???They scored two great goals. They played very well and gave a great effort.???

The Gamecocks got on the board with the eventual game-winner just nine minutes into the first half. After receiving a pass into the box from sophomore midfielder Shannon Bigbie, senior forward Darcel Mollon beat UT junior keeper Jaimel Johnson one-on-one from eight yards.

In the first half, both teams had several scoring opportunities. Within five minutes after the goal, South Carolina had two excellent chances including a shot from senior midfielder Ashley Kirk that forced a diving save from Johnson. The Lady Vols posted five shots, putting two on goal in the first half.

The Gamecocks notched their second goal in the 78th minute on a free kick deep in Tennessee???s defensive end. Junior defender Brittiny Rhoades took the kick for South Carolina, putting it into the box, where junior midfielder Mary Worthen got a head on it, putting it away for the 2-0 lead.

The second half saw UT gain several scoring chances, but the Lady Vols could not seem to find the back of the net. Nine minutes into the second frame, freshman midfielder Tanya Emerson forced Armstrong to make a diving save. Junior forward Kylee Rossi also had a great opportunity in the box in the 69th minute, but sent her shot straight at Armstrong.

???We could have executed more efficiently,??? Kelly said. ???We did a better job at possessing the ball but we could have been more aggressive in the final third.???

Tennessee???s best chance of the half came in the 58th minute, when freshman forward Devon Swaim found herself in a one-on-one with Armstrong, but the South Carolina keeper made the diving save to keep the shutout intact.

UT finished the match with 11 total shots, five of which were on frame. Rossi led the team, putting three of her four shots on goal. Johnson made four saves in the match, while Armstrong was forced to make five. The shutout is South Carolina???s 12th of the season and marks just the fourth time this year that Tennessee has been held scoreless.

The loss drops the Lady Vols to 13-4-2 on the year. After losing to Georgia, 3-0, on Nov. 2, the Orange and White have now dropped back-to-back matches for the first time in 61 games, dating back to 2005.

???After our loss on Friday, I thought the team picked it up and we gave a good fight but it was not enough,??? senior defender Jordan Falcusan said. ???We can???t discredit South Carolina. It is disappointing to go out in the first round, but sometimes you need to lose in order to win more down the road.???

Though the loss is hard to swallow for the UT team that entered the postseason with its best record in program history at that point, the squad???s NCAA Tournament hopes are still alive. Tennessee held the sixth-ranked Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) in the country going into the SEC Tournament and is 4-1-1 against top 25 opponents this season.

???It is very exciting and we are looking forward to the NCAA Tournament,??? Falcusan said. ???This is a good time for the team to come together.???

The Orange and White now await the decision of the NCAA Tournament selection committee on Monday, Nov. 12. The selection special airs live on ESPNews at 8 p.m. ET.