University of Tennessee
Florida
MATCH CENTRAL: Tennessee vs. Florida
September 20, 2023 | Soccer
Tennessee will continue SEC play at home, hosting Florida in a 7 p.m. ET matchup on Thursday.
The Lady Vols (5-2-1, 0-1 SEC) are coming off a hard-fought 3-1 loss to No. 11 Arkansas on Friday. A crowd of 1,794 came out to watch UT's SEC opener, the kickoff of which was delayed 45 minutes from the original 7 p.m. ET start time due to UA travel issues. Senior Lawson Renie was the goal scorer for UT (5-2-1, 0-1 SEC). Redshirt-sophomore Ally Zazzara made the start in goal, earning four saves, and redshirt-freshman Abby Reisz took over in the second half. For the Razorbacks, Bea Franklin scored two goals, and Sophia Aragon landed the third.Â
Florida (4-2-2, 0-1 SEC)Â enters the match on the heels of a 3-2 loss to Missouri at home last Friday.Â
Admission is free for all preseason and regular-season soccer matches. For fans planning to attend, note that Tennessee's clear bag policy will be in effect again this season.
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GAME PROMOTIONS:
- Regal Rodeo Night
- Lady Vols cowboy hat giveaway (first 250 fans)
- $1 Hot Dog night is back!
- Food trucks: Gohan Japanese Grill and Irvey's Ice Cream
- Country themed halftime games
THE LAST TIME WE MET: The Lady Vols opened SEC play on the road against the Gators last season on Sept. 16, taking a 2-1 win.
VS THE GATORS: Tennessee's all-time record against UF is 14-18-3, with UT riding a six-game winning streak dating back to Oct. 4, 2018. When playing in Regal Stadium, the Lady Vols own a 7-5-1 advantage.
SCOUTING UF: The Gators were picked to finish 13th in the SEC as voted on by the league's coaches. Florida added 18 newcomers and returned 18 players from the 2022 squad that finished 2-14-1, making it the second-largest roster in UF program history. Four Gators were named players to watch this season, with Florida's top returning player, senior Delaney Tauzel, and transfers Lauren Donovan, Daviana Vaka, and Emily Yaple making the list.
IF THE SEASON ENDED TODAY: Simmonds, who has tallied a team-leading six goals and two assists thus far in her sophomore campaign, would rank third in single-season program records for points per game (1.75) and fourth in goals per game (.75).Â
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 ammassed 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).
IN THEIR OFFENSIVE THIRD: The Lady Vols outshot the Razborbacks 16-10 and took eight corners to their four. Through the last six contests, UT has out-shot opponents 126-34 and taken 53 corner kicks while limiting the opposition to just 11. Tennessee currently ranks first nationally in corner kicks per game (9.25) and 13th in shots per game (19.38).
EVERYONE IS DANGEROUS: UT's 19 goals thus far have been scored by 10 different players. Freshmen Sarah Greiner, Kate Runyon and Keaton Mitchell, sophomore Kameron Simmonds (6), juniors Jordan Fusco (2) and Nolyn Bartholomew, redshirt-seniors Maria Nelson (2) and Jaida Thomas, senior Lawon Renie and graduate Sizzy Lawton (2) have all found the back of the net for the Big Orange. An own goal by ETSU rounds out the total.
FRESHMEN CONTRIBUTING: In the Lady Vols' first two contests, all four of UT's active freshmen recorded a goal or assist. Forwards Kate Runyon and Sarah Greiner each logged goals, and defender Linette Hofmann tallied an assist in the season opener against Cal, while midfielder Keaton Mitchell put her name on the scorecard with a goal at Lipscomb. Hofmann and Runyon have both made appearances in the starting lineup, and all four freshmen have played significant minutes this season.
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.
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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.
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PLAYERS TO WATCH:Â 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.
 UP NEXT: Tennessee will play its first SEC road game, traveling to No. 7 South Carolina for a 7 p.m. ET match. That contest will be broadcast on ESPNU.
