SOCCER CENTRAL: Fordham

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- The 10^th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers are set to open the regular season at home Thursday night, hosting the Fordham Rams in a non-conference matchup. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Regal Soccer Stadium.

Admission and parking for all regular season matches at Regal Soccer Stadium is free of charge. Gates will open at 6 p.m., and fans should be reminded that UT's clear bag policy will be in effect.

FOLLOW LIVE: Thursday's contest will be streamed live on SEC Network+, available online and through the WatchESPN app. Live stats will also be provided via SIDEARM Stats.

PROMOTIONS: Gameday promotions for the season opener include a pregame Student Welcome Back Tailgate, Dollar Dog Night ($1 hot dogs all game long), Juice Box Thursday (first 25 kids get a juice box) and a pregame Kids' Corner.

PRESEASON TOP 10: Tennessee received its highest preseason ranking in program history from the United Soccer Coaches, as the Vols were tabbed 10th in the organization's national poll released last week.

The Vols are the highest ranked SEC program entering the 2019 season. Other top-25 teams in the conference include No. 12 Texas A&M, No. 15 South Carolina, No. 17 Vanderbilt and No. 24 LSU.

PRESEASON AWARDS: UT has had a handful of players garner national and conference preseason honors over the past couple weeks. Katie Cousins and Maya Neal were both named to the MAC Hermann Trophy Preseason Watch List for the NCAA's top individual honor in collegiate soccer. The redshirt-senior duo was also named to the SEC Preseason Watch List alongside Erin Gilroy and MA Vignola.

Tennessee is one of 11 teams nationwide and one of two teams in the SEC to have three or more players ranked in the TopDrawerSoccer.com preseason National Top 100. Cousins checks in at No. 5, Neal comes in at No. 28 and Vignola rounds it out for the Vols at No. 98.

Additionally, TopDrawerSoccer released its preseason Best XI teams on Tuesday which featured three Volunteers. Cousins was named to the first team as a midfielder, while Neal was slotted as a third team defender. Freshman midfielder Isabella Cook earned a spot on the Freshman Best XI thanks to her impressive prep career, which featured a stint with the U.S. U-20 Women's National Team.

NEW YEAR, NEW TEAM: Tennessee welcomes a signing class of 15 that was rated No. 6 in the country and No. 1 in the SEC. The Vols added 13 true freshmen and two all-conference transfers - Michelle Alozie from Yale and Mackenzie George from Cal Poly - that look to make an immediate impact this season.

FRESHMEN SHINE IN EXHIBITION: In Tennessee's 4-0 preseason win over Loyola-Maryland, three of UT's goals came from the Vols' highly touted freshman class. Cook, Claudia Dipasupil and Colleen McIlvenna contributed scores for the Big Orange in the win.

SCOUTING FORDHAM: Sixth-year head coach Jessica Clinton leads a Fordham side that went 9-9-1 in 2018. The Rams were selected 7^th of 14 in the Atlantic 10 preseason coaches' poll last week.

Goals were few and far between on both sides for the Rams last year, averaging one goal per game and allowing 0.84 per contest. Senior goalkeeper Kelly LaMorte played every minute of the 2018 season and looks to lead the defensive unit in 2019.

Leading returning scorers for the Rams include Margaret Roughley (4G, 1A) and Amanda Miller (2G, 3A).

UP NEXT: Tennessee's home stand continues Sunday, Aug. 25 as the Mercer Bears travel to Rocky Top. Kickoff for that matchup is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Regal Soccer Stadium.

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

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Players Mentioned

Michelle Alozie

Isabella Cook

Katie Cousins

Claudia Dipasupil

Mackenzie George

Erin Gilroy

Colleen McIlvenna

Maya Neal

MA Vignola

University of Tennessee Athletics