MATCH CENTRAL: Tennessee vs. Radford

Thursday, September 7

Knoxville

7 PM

University of Tennessee

Radford

September 06, 2023 | Soccer

Live Stats Watch Live (SECN+)UT Game Notes

By: Kimberly Hood

Tennessee will be back in Regal Stadium on Thursday night, hosting Radford in a 7 p.m. ET contest.

UT (3-1-1) is coming off a 2-2 draw against Indiana at home last Thursday. The Lady Vols erased a two-point first-half deficit with goals from sophomore Kameron Simmonds and redshirt-senior Jaida Thomas.

Radford (3-2-1) enters the match on the heels of a commanding 5-0 win over Hampton at home on Sunday.

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.

GAME PROMOTIONS:

$1 Hot Dog Night
Smokey's Spirit Squad Night
Food Trucks: Smith's Endzone BBQ & Irvey's Ice Cream
Rocky Top Rowdies shirts (first 300 students)

VS THE HIGHLANDERS: This will mark the sixth meeting between UT and Radford, with Tennessee owning a 4-0-1 advantage in the series. The teams last met on Sept. 20, 2000.

SCOUTING RU: Following a 2022 Big South Championship, the Highlanders were picked to finish first in the conference again this season as voted on by the league's coaches. The 2022 squad posted an overall record of 12-4-4 and a conference mark of 6-2-1. Midfielders Alexeis Kirnos, Lilly Short and Amy Swain earned Big South Preseason All-Conference honors, as did defender Helena Willson who was named Big South Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.

TRACKING THOMAS: Scoring her first goal of the season against the Hoosiers, Thomas moved her career goals scored to 39, pulling within four of tying Kylee Rossi at No. 1 in program history.

SIMMONDS BY THE NUMBERS: With a goal against IU, Simmonds moved her goal count to a team-leading five on the season. She has scored those five goals on just 19 shots, and she currently ties for 15th among all NCAA D-1 players for goals per game. She is second in the SEC in total goals (5), goals per game (1.00), and points (10), trailing only Jordyn Rhodes of Kentucky.

CREATING CHANCES: The Lady Vols have taken 53 corner kicks on the season while limiting opponents to just 13. They currently rank second nationally with 10.4 corner kicks per game.

EVERYONE IS DANGEROUS: UT's 13 goals thus far have been scored by eight different players. Freshmen Sarah Greiner, Kate Runyon and Keaton Mitchell, sophomore Kameron Simmonds (5), junior Jordan Fusco, redshirt-seniors Maria Nelson and Jaida Thomas, and graduate Sizzy Lawton have all found the back of the net for the Big Orange. An own goal by ETSU rounds out the total.

FRESHMEN FINDING THEIR GROOVE: 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.

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.
UP NEXT: Tennessee will close out its non-conference slate on the road, traveling to Florida Atlantic for a 1 p.m. ET matchup on Sunday.