University of Tennessee Athletics
Thursday, September 3
Charlottesville, Va.
7:00 p.m. ET
University of Tennessee
at
Virginia
PREVIEW: #10 Lady Vols Hit Road for Ranked Clash at #12 Virginia
September 02, 2026 | Soccer
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - The No. 10 Tennessee soccer team is set for its first road contest of the season at No. 12 Virginia on Thursday. The contest is set for a 7:00 p.m. ET kickoff at Klöckner Stadium.
The match will air live on ACC Network Extra with Geoff Arnold and Paddy Foss on the call.
The Lady Vols (4-0-0) made it four wins from four to open 2026 following a 4-0 victory over Western Carolina at Regal Soccer Stadium on Aug. 23. Thursday's match against No. 12 Virginia comes on the heels of a ten-day break in action for Tennessee, who remain at No. 10 in the United Soccer Coaches poll.
Big-Time Test: Tennessee's penultimate nonconference match at Virginia represents the team's biggest test to date. The Hoos are currently ranked No. 12 in the United Coaches Poll and No. 4 in TopDrawerSoccer.com's top-25 rankings.
The Lady Vols have been largely unchallenged in the opening four matches of 2026, conceding just one goal and winning by an average margin of 3.25 goals.
Virginia is one of four opponents currently ranked in the United Soccer Coaches Poll on the Lady Vols' schedule. A Sept. 27 clash with No. 3 Vanderbilt looms, while Tennessee will face No. 20 South Carol
Hittin' the Road: Thursday's match at Virginia marks Tennessee's first road contest of the 2026 season. The Lady Vols posted a 5-2-2 record on the road in 2025, going unbeaten in four road nonconference contests.
Virginia marks the only road nonconference match for Tennessee in 2026. The Lady Vols will open the SEC slate with two consecutive road matches, heading to LSU on Sept. 11, and Texas on Sept. 18.
The match will air live on ACC Network Extra with Geoff Arnold and Paddy Foss on the call.
The Lady Vols (4-0-0) made it four wins from four to open 2026 following a 4-0 victory over Western Carolina at Regal Soccer Stadium on Aug. 23. Thursday's match against No. 12 Virginia comes on the heels of a ten-day break in action for Tennessee, who remain at No. 10 in the United Soccer Coaches poll.
Big-Time Test: Tennessee's penultimate nonconference match at Virginia represents the team's biggest test to date. The Hoos are currently ranked No. 12 in the United Coaches Poll and No. 4 in TopDrawerSoccer.com's top-25 rankings.
The Lady Vols have been largely unchallenged in the opening four matches of 2026, conceding just one goal and winning by an average margin of 3.25 goals.
Virginia is one of four opponents currently ranked in the United Soccer Coaches Poll on the Lady Vols' schedule. A Sept. 27 clash with No. 3 Vanderbilt looms, while Tennessee will face No. 20 South Carol
Hittin' the Road: Thursday's match at Virginia marks Tennessee's first road contest of the 2026 season. The Lady Vols posted a 5-2-2 record on the road in 2025, going unbeaten in four road nonconference contests.
Virginia marks the only road nonconference match for Tennessee in 2026. The Lady Vols will open the SEC slate with two consecutive road matches, heading to LSU on Sept. 11, and Texas on Sept. 18.
Embarrassment of Riches: Tennessee has had ten different goal scorers through four matches in 2026. Nine of the ten had not scored for the Lady Vols prior to this season, while six of the ten have tallied their first career goals in 2026.
In the Lady Vols' most recent outing, a 4-0 victory over Western Carolina, Shae O'Rourke opened her 2026 account with the game's second goal, while freshman Olivia Feagin notched her first career goal to wrap up the scoring.
The trend of first-time goal scorers emerged heavily in Tennessee's 4-0 victory over Milwaukee. All four Lady Vol goals were scored by a different player, marking the first goal on Rocky Top for each of the four.
Senior forward Taylor Cheatham opened the scoring for Tennessee against the Panthers. While she had previously scored twice at the collegiate level, her third-career goal was her first in orange and white.
Junior forward Kameran Bluette struck for Tennessee's second goal just 34 seconds into the second half, a first collegiate goal in her third season with the Lady Vols. Jayla Blue became the second freshman to find the back of the net for Tennessee in 2026 when she scored the third goal of the match against Milwaukee, the first of her collegiate career.
Sophomore defender Marlee Raymond added the cherry on top for Tennessee, nodding home a corner kick service for the Lady Vols' fourth of the match and another career first.
Defensive Dominance: Tennessee has picked up where it left off defensively to begin the 2026 season. After opening 2025 with seven consecutive shutouts and tying a program record with 13 clean sheets last season, the Lady Vols have conceded just one goal through four matches in 2026, posting clean sheets in the team's previous three contests.
In those three shutouts, Tennessee conceded a total of just eight shots and two shots on target. Junior goalkeeper Cayden Norris has now contributed to 18 shutouts between the sticks in her career.
Perhaps the most dominant defensive performance for Tennessee in 2026 came in the team's most recent match against Western Carolina. The Lady Vols allowed just one shot and did not concede a shot on target, the first time Tennessee has done so since 2024.
Savvy Simmons: Fifth-year forward Kylee Simmons has been Tennessee's leader in attack in 2026, leading the team in goals (3), assists (2), and points (8). After opening the season with a brace against Rutgers, she turned provider with assists in victories over South Alabama and Milwaukee.
In Tennessee's most recent match against Western Carolina, Simmons scored her third goal of the season, converting from the penalty spot to find the scoresheet on senior night.
A Look at Virginia: The Cavaliers have had a similarly impressive start to 2026 alongside Tennessee. Boasting an unbeaten 4-0-0 record, Virginia has outscored its opponents 14-2 this season.
The team showcased its goalscoring prowess with a 7-0 victory over La Salle on Aug. 20, with six different players finding the back of the net. The Cavaliers have also shown the ability to grind out a close match, evident by a 2-1 victory over Yale in Virginia's most recent match on Sunday.
Just like Tennessee, Thursday's match for Virginia will be its first against a ranked opponent in 2026, with the team set to face a gauntlet once ACC play begins on Sept. 12.
The Cavaliers and Lady Vols do share a common opponent on their nonconference schedules. Virginia opened the season with a 3-1 victory over Northwestern, who Tennessee will face at Regal Soccer Stadium on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET.
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