Tennessee Downs No. 15 Illinois

Sunday, September 7

Knoxville, TN

University of Tennessee

2-3-0

Illinois

4-1-0

ILLINOIS

TENNESSEE

September 07, 2008 | Soccer

Box Score

Sept. 7, 2008

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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Sophomore midfielder Julie Edwards' first goal of the season propelled the University of Tennessee women's soccer team to its first home victory, 1-0, over No. 15 Illinois in Sunday afternoon's final match of the 2008 First Tennessee Classic. The 20th-ranked Lady Vols found the back of the net for the first time since Aug. 22, improving to 2-3-0 on the season and 67-11-2 all-time at home under Head Coach Angela Kelly.

"I think playing at home is something that we cherish," Kelly said. "We have a tremendous record here. We've just been plugging away. It's always great for the players to get the result to match the effort that they put in, and today they battled."

Sophomore defender Grace Cuenin dished the pass to Edwards outside the top of the box, where Edwards put away the game winner in the 60th minute. The Glenmoore, Pa., native lobbed a shot from 25 yards past Fighting Illini keeper Alexandra Kapicka. The goal was Tennessee's first in 349:46, after being shutout in three straight games. Cuenin's assist marked the first point of her collegiate career.

"To see Julie come up with a goal was awesome," Kelly said. "She's a very crafty player. She gets involved and is very physical for her size. She's very technical, so for her to strike a shot from that distance doesn't surprise me at all."

The Orange and White controlled possession throughout the match, outshooting the Illini 18-9. Senior forward Kylee Rossi led both teams with 11 shots, missing the program single-match record by one strike. Five of Rossi's shots were on frame, accounting for all five saves made by Illinois.

"We need Kylee to find the back of the net," Kelly said. "I think once we can do that we'll be rolling on all cylinders."

UT senior goalkeeper Jaimel Johnson needed to make just two saves to record the second shutout of the season and the 17th of her career. The blanking moved her into second on the Tennessee all-time list, passing former Lady Vol Ellen Dean (1998-2000, 2002). Kapicka made four saves in the match, facing six shots on goal.

The Lady Vols had several quality opportunities in a scoreless first half, with Rossi getting the best chance 35 minutes into the match. The Pennington, N.J., took a shot from the left side of the box, but had it kicked off the line by an Illinois defender. The team save marked the second of the weekend on a shot by Rossi. Illinois posted five shots in the half, forcing Johnson to make one save.

The Orange and White notched 10 shots in the second half, putting three on goal. Rossi and junior midfielder Mick Imgram combined to create half of the Lady Vols' scoring opportunities in the final frame, while Johnson posted her second shot of the weekend nearly converting on a free kick from midfield, but sending it just wide of the goal.

Several rookies for UT saw significant time in the match, with forward Emily Dowd and midfielders Lara Langworthy and Chelsea Hatcher getting in on the action on Sunday. Hatcher and Langworthy each recorded a shot and played over 25 ticks apiece, while Dowd put in 51 minutes of work up top.

"We have seven freshmen and they are getting acclimated and adjusted," Kelly said. "It's definitely a transitional period. We're expecting them to contribute a lot. The learning curve for freshmen is exponential and that's what you see happening for all of them. We're going to try to get them in there as much as we can."

The Big Orange finished the ninth annual First Tennessee Lady Vol Classic with a 1-1 record, tying Illinois for second place in the tournament. West Virginia, who earlier played to a 1-1 draw with Washington State, took home the championship with a 1-0-1 mark for the weekend.

UT was represented on the 2008 First Tennessee Classic All-Tournament Team by Imgram, Edwards and senior midfielder Alissa VonderHaar. The three combined for six shots and one goal on the weekend.

The Mountaineers placed four players on the All-Tournament team, including overall Most Valuable Player senior forward Deanna Everrett, Offensive MVP sophomore forward Meghan Mischler and Defensive MVP senior midfielder Greer Barnes. WVU finished the tournament with two goals, equaling Illinois for the highest offensive output of the weekend.

The Lady Vols now look ahead to their second trip to Southern California in two years. The squad heads to Malibu, Calif., Friday to face Pepperdine before traveling up the coastline to Santa Barbara to face UCSB next Sunday. Last season, UT topped Nebraska and played to a scoreless draw with eventual national champion USC during its trip to the Golden State.

"It's no secret that California has some of the best talent in the country," Kelly said. "Both of those teams are very technical. Both Santa Barbara and Pepperdine have been getting great results."