University of Tennessee Athletics
Thomas Named SEC Freshman of the Week
November 02, 2020 | Soccer
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Tennessee redshirt freshman Jaida Thomas has been selected as the Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week, the league office announced Monday afternoon. The forward from Irving, Texas, tallied the match-winner on Friday as the Vols earned a 2-1 victory at Florida.
Thomas activated her clutch gene once again in Gainesville, scoring the eventual game-winner in the 70th minute. She used her head to put the Vols ahead 2-0, connecting from point-blank range off the corner kick service from Claudia Dipasupil.
"Jaida's goal was massive," head coach Brian Pensky said. "It took some wind out of Florida's sails as they were pressing to tie the match. The coolest part was Jaida scoring with her head. That's an area of her game that she's really trying to improve upon, so that was nice to see for her.
"Credit to Jaida's partner up top, Mackenzie George, who was a handful all night. George created the corner kick on which Jaida scored, and the ensuing ball played in by Claudia was just perfect. We created 13 corner kicks on the night, so it was certainly good to put one of those away."
The match-winner helped the Vols secure their third-straight victory over the Gators, tying the longest streak for Tennessee in series history. It also marked the first time UT has earned back-to-back wins in Gainesville since recording consecutive victories at Florida in 2004 and 2006.
Thomas ranks first in the SEC and third in the NCAA with three game-winning goals this season. She notched game-winners in key divisional victories over Vanderbilt and Missouri earlier this fall.
This is the second time this season that Thomas has been tabbed as SEC Freshman of the Week. She also earned the honors on September 28 after scoring the golden goal to seal UT's 1-0 victory over No. 10 Vanderbilt.
Thomas' game-winning goal in The Swamp set up an SEC East championship game for the Vols this week, as Tennessee hosts South Carolina Friday night at Regal Soccer Stadium. The winner of Friday's contest will clinch a division title and top-2 seed in the upcoming SEC Tournament. Kickoff between the Vols and Gamecocks is set for 6 p.m.
For the most up-to-date information on Tennessee soccer, follow @Vol_Soccer on Twitter.
Thomas activated her clutch gene once again in Gainesville, scoring the eventual game-winner in the 70th minute. She used her head to put the Vols ahead 2-0, connecting from point-blank range off the corner kick service from Claudia Dipasupil.
"Jaida's goal was massive," head coach Brian Pensky said. "It took some wind out of Florida's sails as they were pressing to tie the match. The coolest part was Jaida scoring with her head. That's an area of her game that she's really trying to improve upon, so that was nice to see for her.
"Credit to Jaida's partner up top, Mackenzie George, who was a handful all night. George created the corner kick on which Jaida scored, and the ensuing ball played in by Claudia was just perfect. We created 13 corner kicks on the night, so it was certainly good to put one of those away."
The match-winner helped the Vols secure their third-straight victory over the Gators, tying the longest streak for Tennessee in series history. It also marked the first time UT has earned back-to-back wins in Gainesville since recording consecutive victories at Florida in 2004 and 2006.
Thomas ranks first in the SEC and third in the NCAA with three game-winning goals this season. She notched game-winners in key divisional victories over Vanderbilt and Missouri earlier this fall.
This is the second time this season that Thomas has been tabbed as SEC Freshman of the Week. She also earned the honors on September 28 after scoring the golden goal to seal UT's 1-0 victory over No. 10 Vanderbilt.
Thomas' game-winning goal in The Swamp set up an SEC East championship game for the Vols this week, as Tennessee hosts South Carolina Friday night at Regal Soccer Stadium. The winner of Friday's contest will clinch a division title and top-2 seed in the upcoming SEC Tournament. Kickoff between the Vols and Gamecocks is set for 6 p.m.
For the most up-to-date information on Tennessee soccer, follow @Vol_Soccer on Twitter.
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