Tennessee Falls to #6 Alabama, 4-2

Thursday, September 22

Knoxville

6 PM

University of Tennessee

5-3-1, 1-1-0

Alabama

9-1-1, 2-0-0

Alabama

Tennessee

September 22, 2022 | Soccer

Box Score Box Score

By: Kimberly Hood

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee came up short against No. 6 Alabama on Thursday, falling 4-2 in Regal Stadium.

Sophomore Jordan Fusco and senior Claudia Dipasupil were the goal scorers for UT (5-3-1, 1-1 SEC). In the net, senior Lindsey Romig tied her career high of nine saves set last Friday at Kentucky.

Reyna Reyes had a brace for Alabama (9-1-1) while Riley Mattingly Parker and Ashlynn Serepca rounded out the scoring.

"We just reminded the team of our identity and our competitive fight. We didn't have that confidence and fight consistently in the first half," said Tennessee head coach Joe Kirt.

"I think in the second half we were better with that, and our team knows that we have to bring that every game. In this league, if you don't compete, you're not going to win many games. We were inconsistent with that tonight in the first half. The second half we were better. There's still another level... That's the message leaving this game, (we need) that consistent competitive fight for 90 minutes."

Alabama came out aggressive offensively, taking three shots before UT went on the offensive. Fusco got UT's first look in the seventh minute, making it count with a rocket from 25 yards out that banked off the inside of the right goal post and into the net to put the Lady Vols ahead early, 1-0.

The Crimson Tide evened the score seven minutes later when Reyes got a head on a corner kick by Felicia Knox.

UA then went up 3-1 in the span of a minute and 40 seconds, both the result of Tennessee defensive clears from inside the six-yard-box that Alabama players got a foot on. Parker scored first with Serepca following shortly thereafter.

Huff beat an Alabama defender in the box in the 36^th minute and was tripped from behind, drawing a penalty kick that Dipasupil put into the left side net to pull UT back within one. That margin would hold through halftime, with Alabama leading 3-2.

UA went back up by two five minutes into the second half with Reyes scoring at close range off an assist from Kate Henderson.

Romig came up big with a one-on-one save in the 55^th minute when Parker broke through Tennessee's back line.

Fifth-year senior Mackenzie George got a good opportunity with just over four minutes left in the game, receiving the ball inside the box and getting off a hard shot, but it sailed wide of the far post.

UP NEXT: Tennessee will head to Kentucky for a 1 p.m. ET matchup on Sunday. The contest will be streamed on SECN+.

SHE SHOOTS, SHE SCORES: Senior Claudia Dipasupil scored her second PK in as many games, keeping her collegiate record a perfect 4-4 from the penalty mark.

THE BLUE DEBUT: Tennessee donned its Summitt Blue jerseys for the first time against Alabama in celebration of the 50^th anniversary of Title IX. Summitt Blue stands alongside "Smokey Grey" and "Dark Mode" (formerly Anthracite) as the three accent colors on Tennessee Athletics' official color palette. Soccer is one of four teams that will debut the Summitt Blue uniforms during the 2022-23 academic year – a collection dubbed the "Summitt Legacy" series.