Soccer Central: #2 North Carolina

Saturday, March 27

Knoxville, TN

6:30 PM

University of Tennessee

North Carolina

KNOXVILLE, TN - 2021.03.06 - Tennessee vs. Wake Forest

Photo by: Kate Luffman/Tennessee Athletics

March 26, 2021 | Soccer

Watch (SEC Network+)Live Stats Tennessee Game Notes UNC Game Notes

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee soccer team will play its final home match of the 2020-21 campaign Saturday night against one of the nation's premier programs, hosting the No. 2 North Carolina Tar Heels at Regal Soccer Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 6:30 p.m.

Admission and parking for all regular season contests at Regal Soccer Stadium are free of charge. To align with state and local physical-distancing guidelines for public gatherings, gameday seating will be limited to approximately 25 percent of the venue's full capacity on a first-come, first-served basis with distanced seating arrangements

Fans are encouraged to visit the Tennessee Soccer gameday page before arriving on campus.

Saturday's match will also be streamed online via SEC Network+, with live stats provided by SIDEARM Stats. Fan can follow @Vol_Soccer on Twitter for live match updates.

LAST TIME OUT: The Vols suffered their first loss of the spring semester on Sunday, falling 2-1 at Cincinnati. All three goals came in an eight-minute span late in the second half, as the result snapped a four-game win streak for the Big Orange.

Freshman defender and Springfield, Ohio, native Caitlin Foley made her first appearance in the starting XI for the Vols at Cincinnati, playing all 90 minutes at left back. Rookie goalkeeper MacKenzie Haba earned her first career cap, subbing on for the second half and recording two saves.

NOTING THE SPRING: Tennessee (8-5-1, 4-3-1 SEC) has put together a 4-1 record in five matches this semester, outscoring its opponents 19-3 over that stretch. The Vols rattled off four-straight wins to begin the spring campaign, claiming victories over Gardner-Webb (6-0), App State (7-0), Xavier (3-1) and Wake Forest (2-0).

Seven Vols have combined to score 18 goals this semester: Jaida Thomas (9), Abbey Burdette (2), Mackenzie George (2), Louisa Essuman (1), Lawson Renie (1), Hannah Tillett (1) and Giselle Washington (1). Cincinnati scored an own goal to account for UT's spring tally of 19.

The Tennessee defensive unit has been stout, allowing just three goals in its last five matches. The semester began with four hours and 11 minutes (250:57) without a score for Volunteer foes.

TOP-10 MATCHUP: Saturday's contest will be Tennessee's fifth against a top-10 nationally ranked opponent this season. The Vols earned wins over No. 10 Vanderbilt (1-0 OT) and No. 9 South Carolina (1-0) en route to the 2020 SEC East Division title last semester.

SERIES HISTORY: In a series that has been dormant since 2010, Tennessee is 0-10-1 in 11 matchups against the Tar Heels—each of which UNC has been ranked No. 1 or No. 2 in the country. The Lady Vols' lone positive result came on September 10, 2004 with a 0-0 tie in Knoxville.

SCOUTING CAROLINA: North Carolina (12-1, 8-0 ACC) ran through its eight-game conference schedule in the fall before reaching the ACC tournament final in a showdown with No. 1 Florida State. The Seminoles came out on top 3-2 to deal the Tar Heels their only loss of the 2020-21 campaign.

UNC opened its spring slate last week with a dominant 5-0 drubbing at Delaware, outshooting the Blue Hens 30-3 with 20 shots on target.

UP NEXT: The 2020-21 regular season will wrap up on the road when the Vols visit Louisville on Saturday, April 10. The match will kick off at 2 p.m. at the Dr. Mark & Cindy Lynn Stadium.

NCAA Tournament selections will be made Sunday, April 18, with 17 at-large bids up for grabs in the 48-team field. The NCAA recently announced that the entirety of the tournament will take place at neutral sites throughout the state of North Carolina.

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