Vols Reach New Heights Across Final NCAA Soccer Rankings

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- The Tennessee soccer program has concluded its historic 2018 campaign as a consensus top-10 team for the first time in program history.

The Vols were tabbed No. 6 in the TopDrawerSoccer.com postseason national rankings, No. 7 in the final United Soccer Coaches national poll and No. 8 in the final NCAA RPI. All three ratings either tied or broke UT program records for the highest end-of-season rankings from those respective outlets.

Tennessee posted a 16-3-3 overall record in 2018 under head coach Brian Pensky, setting program marks for the highest winning percentage (.795) and fewest losses (3) in a single season. The Vols reached the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time after earning the program's first No. 2 national seed.

Tennessee's stout defensive unit limited opponents to a program-best 15 goals on the season, while the Vols' 12 shutouts tied a Tennessee record that has stood since 2003. UT netted 44 goals on the offensive end, marking the first time Tennessee scored 40-plus goals in back-to-back seasons since 2002-03.

Several Vols claimed individual postseason accolades, highlighted by senior forward Bunny Shaw and redshirt-junior midfielder Katie Cousins earning All-America distinction from the United Soccer Coaches. Shaw was tabbed Second Team All-America, and Cousins repeated as a Third Team honoree.

Shaw, Cousins and redshirt-junior defender Maya Neal were selected First Team All-Southeast Region, while junior defender MA Vignola took home a Second Team all-region nod from the United Soccer Coaches.

Shaw headlined SEC postseason awards, becoming the second Tennessee player ever to be named SEC Offensive Player of the Year (Kylee Rossi, 2006-07). Shaw, Cousins and Neal each repeated as First All-SEC honorees, while Vignola and Erin Gilroy were voted Second Team All-SEC by the league's coaches for the first time in their respective careers.

Senior goalkeeper Shae Yanez tallied three program records in her final season with the Vols. The Downingtown, Pa. native logged a .856 save percentage, 0.66 goals-against average and a .795 goalie win percentage across 22 starts between the posts. Those three marks currently stand as Tennessee single-season records.

A breakdown of UT's accolades from the historic 2018 season can be viewed below. For the most up-to-date information on the Tennessee soccer program, follow @Vol_Soccer on Twitter.

POSTSEASON SOCCER HONORS
Team
#7 - United Coaches Top-25 Poll
#8 - NCAA RPI
#6 - Top Drawer Soccer
NCAA Tournament - Quarterfinals
SEC Tournament - Quarterfinals

United Soccer Coaches All-America
Bunny Shaw (2nd team)
Katie Cousins (3rd team)

United Coaches All-Southeast Region
Katie Cousins (1st team)
Maya Neal (1st team)
Bunny Shaw (1st team)
MA Vignola (2nd team)

SEC Offensive Player of the Year
Bunny Shaw

All-SEC
Katie Cousins (1st team)
Maya Neal (1st team)
Bunny Shaw (1st team)
Erin Gilroy (2nd team)
MA Vignola (2nd team)

University of Tennessee Athletics

Vols Reach New Heights Across Final NCAA Soccer Rankings

Players Mentioned

Katie Cousins

Erin Gilroy

Maya Neal

Bunny Shaw

MA Vignola

Shae Yanez

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