Vols Blank Bulldogs Thursday Night, 1-0

Thursday, October 10

Knoxville, TN

7:00 PM

University of Tennessee

8-4-1, 2-3-0

Georgia

5-6-2, 1-3-1

Team	1	2	Final F
Georgia	0	0	0
Tennessee	0	1	1

Photo by: Andrew Ferguson/Tennessee Athletics

October 10, 2019 | Soccer

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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee picked up its second-straight shutout win in SEC play Thursday night, topping the Georgia Bulldogs 1-0 at Regal Soccer Stadium. Senior forward MA Vignola notched the game-winner on a penalty kick early in the second half.

"I'm just continuing to be proud of our team," head coach Brian Pensky said following the win. "Georgia's a good team. They are a much, much improved team from years past. With that, we fully respected them. Just a gutty performance down the stretch. Preventing chances, making plays, making saves—doing whatever you've got to do to kill off a game. Our kids learned in that first week of league play that three points in this league doesn't come easily."

Vignola found the opener in the 47th minute, converting the penalty kick for Tennessee (8-4-1, 2-3 SEC) for her team-leading seventh goal of the year. The Vols were awarded a penalty after senior forward Michelle Alozie drew a hard foul in the box.

Freshman keeper Lindsey Romig logged her second-consecutive clean sheet with 90 minutes in goal, recording three saves to preserve the shutout. The win marked Tennessee's fifth home shutout of the season and 16th since 2017.

In five matchups since 2015, The Vols have not conceded a goal to the Bulldogs over a span of 470 minutes of game action. Tennessee's record against Georgia improved to 17-8-1 in the all-time series.

The Vols saw a pair of close chances in the first half as shots from Mackenzie George and Alozie bounced off the woodwork. George led UT with six shot attempts on the night, while Vignola fired four that were all on frame.

Tennessee amassed a 16-7 advantage in shots over Georgia (5-6-2, 1-3-1), while corner kicks were even at five apiece. The physicality of the contest was clear on the box score with five yellow cards distributed overall, four of those going to UGA. The Bulldogs committed 19 fouls on the night compared to six for the Vols.

"Our team came together, and they decided we're burying the past," Pensky said. "What's over is over, what has been, has been, and we've got to move on. It's all about the locker room, and these players owning the team. I've said it forever, 'any team worth their salt has got to be known and managed by the group.' That whole mentality of burying the past is coming from them, and it's nice to have that mojo."

UP NEXT: The Vols will hit the road for another SEC East matchup with Missouri on Sunday. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. ET at the Audrey J. Walton Stadium in Columbia, Mo.

For the most up-to-date information on Tennessee soccer, follow @Vol_Soccer on Twitter.