University of Tennessee Athletics
Sunday, October 29
Pensacola, Fla.
University of Tennessee
vs
Auburn
MATCH CENTRAL: Lady Vols vs. Auburn
October 28, 2023 | Soccer
PENSACOLA, Fla. – Ninth-seeded Tennessee will begin its quest for an SEC Championship on Sunday, facing off with eighth-seeded Auburn at 4:30 ET (3:30 CT) at Ashton Brosnaham Soccer Complex in Pensacola, Fla.
In its last outing, the Lady Vols (8-5-4, 3-4-3 SEC) took a 1-0 victory at Vanderbilt, claiming the program's first road win against the Commodores since 2013 and ending VU's season-long home undefeated streak. Sophomore Kameron Simmonds found the net for Tennessee off an assist from sophomore Macaira Midgley. In goal, redshirt-sophomore Ally Zazzara made a career-high seven saves which earned her SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors.
Auburn (7-6-5, 3-4-3 SEC) arrives at the tournament on the heels of a 0-0 draw at Georgia.
The Lady Vols own a 13-10-4 advantage in the all-time series against the Tigers. The teams did not meet during the regular season, but Tennessee is riding a two-game win streak against AU. In their last meeting, UT took a 1-0 victory at Auburn on Oct. 20, 2022.
UP NEXT: The winner will advance to the quarterfinals on Tuesday to play top-seeded Arkansas at 6 p.m. ET/5 p.m. CT.
TOURNAMENT TIME: The Lady Vols are 18-16-6 all-time in SEC Tournament games and have claimed five SEC Tournament crowns since the program's inception in 1996, winning the event in 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2008, 2021.
SCOUTING AUBURN: The Tigers were picked to finish 10th in the SEC as voted on by the league's coaches. They added eight newcomers this season and returned seven starters from a 2022 squad that went 6-6-6. Anna Haddock leads the team with 15 points on four goals and seven assists.
FUSCO MAKING MOVES: With the hat trick against Texas A&M, Jordan Fusco rocketed to the top of the team statistics and is tied with Kameron Simmonds for the lead in points with 16. Against SEC opponents, she ranks second in the conference in shots per game (3.44), third in points per game (1.22) and fifth in goals per game (0.44).
EFFICIENCY IS KEY: The Lady Vols scored a goal on just five shots agaist Vandy. Over the last three contests, Tennessee has scored seven goals on 30 shots with 18 shots on goal for a shot percentage of .233 and a shot-on-goal percentage of .600, decisively above season averages of .128 and .459, respectively.
SECOND HALF TEAM: The Lady Vols have netted 13 goals over the last eight contests, 10 of which have come in the second half. On the season, 20 of Tennessee's 34 goals have been scored in the final 45 minutes of play.
CAREER NIGHT: Ally Zazzara logged a career-high seven saves to earn the shutout at Vandy. Her previous best was six saves against No. 23 SMU on Aug. 21, 2022.
EVERYONE IS DANGEROUS: UT's 34 goals thus far have been scored by 12 different players. Freshmen Sarah Greiner, Kate Runyon (4) and Keaton Mitchell, sophomores Kameron Simmonds (7) and Macaira Midgley, juniors Jordan Fusco (6) and Nolyn Bartholomew, redshirt-seniors Maria Nelson (2) and Jaida Thomas, senior Lawson Renie and graduates Sizzy Lawton (6) and Nayeli Diaz have all found the back of the net for the Big Orange. Own goals by ETSU and MSU round out the total.
IN THEIR OFFENSIVE THIRD: On the season, UT has taken nearly 100 more shots than its opponents, outshooting teams 266-267, and taking 124 corner kicks while limiting the opposition to just 60. Tennessee currently ranks sevneth in Division I in corner kicks per game (7.24).
FRESHMEN CONTRIBUTING: All four of UT's active freshmen have recorded at least one goal or assist on the season. Forward Kate Runyon has made nine starts, logging four goals and an assist. Fellow rookies Keaton Mitchell and Sarah Greiner have both tallied goals, and Linette Hofmann has started 13 contests, recording an assist in the season opener against Cal.
THOMAS IN THE RECORD BOOK: Before suffering a season-ending injury, redshirt-senior Jaida Thomas moved her career total to 39 goals to trail UT's leading career scorer, Kylie Rossi, by just four goals. Thomas amassed her 39 goals in just 59 games for a goals-per-game average of .66 to rank third all-time at Tennessee behind only Bunny Shaw (0.77) and Allison Campbell (0.70).
NEW FACES: Tennessee added 10 newcomers in its 2023 signing class. All 10 are versatile field players with six enrolling as freshmen and four arriving as transfers with multiple years of collegiate experience.
BACK AGAIN: The Lady Vols return five starters and 20 letterwinners from the 2022 team that clinched an SEC East Division title for the third straight season.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Redshirt senior Jaida Thomas, senior Lawson Renie, juniors Sheridan Michel and Jordan Fusco, and sophomore Kameron Simmonds were all named to the SEC Preseason Watch List.
In its last outing, the Lady Vols (8-5-4, 3-4-3 SEC) took a 1-0 victory at Vanderbilt, claiming the program's first road win against the Commodores since 2013 and ending VU's season-long home undefeated streak. Sophomore Kameron Simmonds found the net for Tennessee off an assist from sophomore Macaira Midgley. In goal, redshirt-sophomore Ally Zazzara made a career-high seven saves which earned her SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors.
Auburn (7-6-5, 3-4-3 SEC) arrives at the tournament on the heels of a 0-0 draw at Georgia.
The Lady Vols own a 13-10-4 advantage in the all-time series against the Tigers. The teams did not meet during the regular season, but Tennessee is riding a two-game win streak against AU. In their last meeting, UT took a 1-0 victory at Auburn on Oct. 20, 2022.
UP NEXT: The winner will advance to the quarterfinals on Tuesday to play top-seeded Arkansas at 6 p.m. ET/5 p.m. CT.
TOURNAMENT TIME: The Lady Vols are 18-16-6 all-time in SEC Tournament games and have claimed five SEC Tournament crowns since the program's inception in 1996, winning the event in 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2008, 2021.
SCOUTING AUBURN: The Tigers were picked to finish 10th in the SEC as voted on by the league's coaches. They added eight newcomers this season and returned seven starters from a 2022 squad that went 6-6-6. Anna Haddock leads the team with 15 points on four goals and seven assists.
FUSCO MAKING MOVES: With the hat trick against Texas A&M, Jordan Fusco rocketed to the top of the team statistics and is tied with Kameron Simmonds for the lead in points with 16. Against SEC opponents, she ranks second in the conference in shots per game (3.44), third in points per game (1.22) and fifth in goals per game (0.44).
EFFICIENCY IS KEY: The Lady Vols scored a goal on just five shots agaist Vandy. Over the last three contests, Tennessee has scored seven goals on 30 shots with 18 shots on goal for a shot percentage of .233 and a shot-on-goal percentage of .600, decisively above season averages of .128 and .459, respectively.
SECOND HALF TEAM: The Lady Vols have netted 13 goals over the last eight contests, 10 of which have come in the second half. On the season, 20 of Tennessee's 34 goals have been scored in the final 45 minutes of play.
CAREER NIGHT: Ally Zazzara logged a career-high seven saves to earn the shutout at Vandy. Her previous best was six saves against No. 23 SMU on Aug. 21, 2022.
EVERYONE IS DANGEROUS: UT's 34 goals thus far have been scored by 12 different players. Freshmen Sarah Greiner, Kate Runyon (4) and Keaton Mitchell, sophomores Kameron Simmonds (7) and Macaira Midgley, juniors Jordan Fusco (6) and Nolyn Bartholomew, redshirt-seniors Maria Nelson (2) and Jaida Thomas, senior Lawson Renie and graduates Sizzy Lawton (6) and Nayeli Diaz have all found the back of the net for the Big Orange. Own goals by ETSU and MSU round out the total.
IN THEIR OFFENSIVE THIRD: On the season, UT has taken nearly 100 more shots than its opponents, outshooting teams 266-267, and taking 124 corner kicks while limiting the opposition to just 60. Tennessee currently ranks sevneth in Division I in corner kicks per game (7.24).
FRESHMEN CONTRIBUTING: All four of UT's active freshmen have recorded at least one goal or assist on the season. Forward Kate Runyon has made nine starts, logging four goals and an assist. Fellow rookies Keaton Mitchell and Sarah Greiner have both tallied goals, and Linette Hofmann has started 13 contests, recording an assist in the season opener against Cal.
THOMAS IN THE RECORD BOOK: Before suffering a season-ending injury, redshirt-senior Jaida Thomas moved her career total to 39 goals to trail UT's leading career scorer, Kylie Rossi, by just four goals. Thomas amassed her 39 goals in just 59 games for a goals-per-game average of .66 to rank third all-time at Tennessee behind only Bunny Shaw (0.77) and Allison Campbell (0.70).
NEW FACES: Tennessee added 10 newcomers in its 2023 signing class. All 10 are versatile field players with six enrolling as freshmen and four arriving as transfers with multiple years of collegiate experience.
BACK AGAIN: The Lady Vols return five starters and 20 letterwinners from the 2022 team that clinched an SEC East Division title for the third straight season.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Redshirt senior Jaida Thomas, senior Lawson Renie, juniors Sheridan Michel and Jordan Fusco, and sophomore Kameron Simmonds were all named to the SEC Preseason Watch List.
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