UT Opens Season With Win Over No. 7 PSU

Friday, August 31

Knoxville, TN

University of Tennessee

1-0-0

Penn State

0-1-0

PENN STATE

TENNESSEE

August 31, 2007 | Soccer

Box Score

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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. ??? The University of Tennessee women???s soccer team kicked off its regular season with a bang, topping No. 7 Penn State 2-1 on opening day of the First Tennessee Lady Vol Classic at Regal Soccer Stadium.

Sophomore midfielder Mick Imgram factored into both goals for the Lady Vols, finishing the night with three points. The Clifton, Va. native scored the eventual game winner for Tennessee and notched an assist on the Orange and White???s first goal of the night.

???Penn State???s such a talented team, they have pace and they are very well organized,??? UT Head Coach Angela Kelly said. ???I think both teams this evening brought a great mentality and if you have that and you have heart, sometimes that can be an equalizer when the talent isn???t the same.???

The first half saw several chances for both teams, including a near miss off the crossbar from Lady Vol junior goalkeeper Jaimel Johnson from past midfield in the opening minutes. UT peppered the Penn State net with 12 shots in the first half, forcing Nittany Lions keeper Alyssa Naeher to make two saves.

PSU opened the scoring 41 minutes into the first half when freshman forward Megan Monroig took a shot from the right corner which curled into and out of Johnson???s hands as she back pedaled towards the goal. Despite Johnson???s best efforts, the ball crossed the goal line, giving the Nittany Lions a 1-0 lead.

Tennessee came out of the locker room with a new found shooting accuracy. After hitting the face just twice on 12 shots in the first 45 minutes, the Lady Vols turned up the heat on Naeher, putting seven of their nine shots on frame in the second half. Naeher was forced to make five saves in the final frame.

After failing to score on several set pieces early in the second frame, Imgram received a ball in the corner and crossed it on the ground towards the oncoming UT attackers. After a nifty step over from senior defender Erica Griffin at the top of the box, freshman midfielder Tanya Emerson finished the pass with a shot into the upper right corner of the goal, tying the match at one.

The Lady Vols continued to pester the Penn State defenders after knotting the score. Over the next 11 minutes, Tennessee junior forward Kylee Rossi, redshirt freshman forward Devon Swaim and senior defender Jordan Falcusan posted a flurry of shots from close range, hitting the crossbar once and forcing Naeher to make two saves. Then, after a Penn State foul, the hard work paid off when Imgram blasted a rocket past Naeher off of the free kick from 35 yards out, causing an eruption of noise from the 1,355 in attendance, shaking the brand new seats at Regal Stadium.

???I think it was an exciting game to watch,??? Kelly said. ???There was lot of action on both ends. It was just a tough, tough battle.???

The Nittany Lions continued to pressure the UT defense, but Johnson and the backline held strong. PSU forced Johnson to make two saves in both halves, including two on shots off the foot of junior midfielder Sheree Gray, who tied for the team lead with three shots.

Tennessee finished the game with a 21-11 advantage in shots, putting nine of those on frame for the match. Naeher made seven total saves on the night, while the Nittany Lions managed five shots on goal.

The Orange and White join UCF as winners on the first day of the Lady Vol Classic, after the Knights posted a 2-1 victory over Minnesota in Friday???s early match.

The tournament continues this Sunday, Sept. 2 at Regal Soccer Stadium with UCF and Penn State at 10:30 a.m. and the Lady Vols hosting the Golden Gophers at 1 p.m. to wrap up the eighth edition of the classic. Live stats, recaps and box scores for every match of the Lady Vol Classic are available online at utladyvols.com.