University of Tennessee Athletics
Soccer Prepares for Saturday Home Exhibition Against Duke
August 14, 2009 | Soccer
Aug. 14, 2009
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - With a week's worth of hard training under their belts, the 2009 Tennessee Lady Vol soccer team will get its first opportunity to see live match action as Atlantic Coast Conference stalwart Duke visits Regal Soccer Stadium on Sat., Aug. 15th, at 4 p.m. for an exhibition contest. Admission is free to the public with gates slated to open at 3 p.m. ET.
"I believe we're all very excited to get the season underway," Lady Vol head coach Angela Kelly said. "Our incoming freshmen are integrating into our system very well. My philosophy with our schedule has always been to challenge our team with the best strength of schedule possible. After only seven days of preseason training, trying to integrate the freshmen into our program and starting on Saturday with an exhibition against a tough Duke team, it is a tremendous challenge. It is a challenge, however, that we are very excited about. We are looking forward to Saturday's match."
UT's matches against the Duke Blue Devils have always been close battles with all four games requiring at least one extra session and often with a great deal on the line. The Big Orange is 1-1-2 all-time versus the Royal Blue & White with both ties occurring during NCAA Tournament action, necessitating a deciding shootout. Duke prevailed on penalties (4-2) during a 1-1 tie back on Nov. 16, 2001, in Chapel Hill, N.C., while Tennessee returned the favor (4-3) in a 0-0 deadlock on Nov. 12, 2006, in Knoxville. The two squads have split a pair of regular-season meetings with the Blue Devils downing the Lady Vols in overtime, 2-1, in Durham, N.C., back on Aug. 30, 2002, and UT prevailing on its home turf by a 4-3 count in OT on Aug. 27, 2004. In the latter tilt, the Orange & White rallied from a 3-1 halftime deficit by scoring two goals in the last 4:23 to force overtime, before All-American defender Keeley Dowling headed in the game-winner off a corner kick at 97:55.
Tennessee enters this weekend's match with a roster of 23 players, including 15 returning letterwinners, seven returning starters from last year's Southeastern Conference Tournament championship team and eight lauded newcomers. Leading the returnees for the Orange & White are senior forward Mick Imgram, sophomore midfielder Chelsea Hatcher, junior midfielder/forward Julie Edwards and junior midfielder Tanya Emerson.
Imgram enters her final campaign with a recent selection to the 11-member, 2009 Preseason All-SEC squad in her pocket and rating in a deadlock for seventh on the Lady Vol career assist list with 17 helpers. The Clifton, Va., native has also tallied 13 career goals and six game-winning tallies during her time at Rocky Top. Last season Imgram was the third-leading scorer for the Lady Vols with two goals, four assists and eight points.
Hatcher looks to build upon a rookie campaign in `08 that saw her earn Soccer Buzz Central Region All-Freshman, SEC All-Freshman and SEC All-Tournament selections while appearing in 21 matches with 10 starting nods. Among her season highlights were converting the deciding penalty kick in an overtime shootout to help UT defeat #11 LSU in the SEC Tournament semifinals on the way to the program's fourth event title since 2002.
Edwards started 19 matches for the Big Orange in 2008, posting a pair of goals, an assist and five points to rate fifth on the squad in scoring. Both of her goals were game-winners as her crucial tallies downed #15 Illinois (1-0) during the First Tennessee Lady Vol Classic and Georgia (1-0) in the SEC Tournament title game. For her efforts at the league event in Orange Beach, Ala., Edwards was tabbed to the SEC All-Tournament Team.
Emerson has seen time in 44 matches during her UT career with five goals and five assists for 15 points. During the 2008 campaign, the Capistrano Beach, Calif., native was responsible for a goal and two assists on 11 total shots. She saved her best offensive production for the 2008 SEC Tournament as Emerson found the back of the net during a 2-1 win over Auburn in the quarterfinals and assisted on Tennessee's single goals in the match-ups with #11 LSU and Georgia in the semifinal and final, respectively.
The Duke Blue Devils are coming off a 15-6-3 campaign that saw them finish fifth in the powerful ACC, advance to battle UCLA in the NCAA Sweet 16 and nab a final No. 9 national ranking. Among Head Coach Robbie Church's seven returning starters are senior forward KayAnne Gummersall (15 goals, four assists, 34 points in 2008), senior forward/midfielder Elisabeth Redmond (12 goals, four assists, 28 points) and junior defender Gretchen Miller (part of 13 shutouts in 2008).
Tennessee's 2009 regular-season kicks off officially on Aug. 22nd, when ETSU visits Knoxville for a 7 p.m. ET match-up.
