University of Tennessee Athletics
Sunday, September 6
Knoxville, Tenn.
2:00 p.m. ET
University of Tennessee
vs
Northwestern
PREVIEW: #10 Lady Vols Welcome Northwestern to Close Nonconference Slate
September 05, 2026 | Soccer
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The No. 10 Tennessee soccer team closes its six-match nonconference slate on Sunday afternoon against Northwestern at Regal Soccer Stadium. Kickoff between the Lady Vols and the Wildcats is set for 2 p.m. ET.
The match will air live on SEC Network+.
Admission is free for all regular-season Tennessee soccer matches. For fans planning to attend, note that Tennessee's clear bag policy will be in effect again this season. Regal Soccer Stadium will be a cashless venue for both concessions and the VolShop this season. Sunday's match will feature a scarf giveaway; vouchers will be distributed pregame and can be redeemed at halftime in front of the exhibit hall. Complete soccer match day information can be found here.
The Lady Vols (4-0-1) return home after battling to a 1-1 draw on the road at No. 12 Virginia. Despite not picking up the win, Tennessee remains unbeaten in 2026 and has an opportunity to secure a second consecutive unbeaten regular season nonconference record.
Cheetah Time: Taylor Cheatham's early strike at No. 12 Virginia was ultimately enough to deliver a draw for the Lady Vols. Now with two goals in 2026, Cheatham continues to provide a pacey spark on the wing for Tennessee's attack.
The goal came at the end of a lightning-quick counterattack, spurred by Ines Derrien and Shae O'Rourke, who were each awarded assists on the play for a pair of incisive passes.
Nonconference Finale: Sunday's match against Northwestern at Regal Soccer Stadium is the final of six non-conference contests for Tennessee in 2026.
The Lady Vols are unbeaten through five matches, holding a 4-0-1 record after a 1-1 draw at No. 12 Virginia on Thursday night. Tennessee has not lost a non-conference match since the 2024 season opener at Indiana, as the Lady Vols went unbeaten outside of SEC play in 2025.
Northwestern will be the second Big Ten opponent Tennessee has faced in 2026, with the Lady Vols defeating Rutgers 4-1 in the season opener Aug. 13 at Regal Soccer Stadium.
Back in a Few: Sunday's match will be the final home contest for Tennessee until Sept. 24 against Mississippi State. The Lady Vols open SEC play with two consecutive road matches, heading to LSU on Sept. 11 and Texas on Sept. 18.
Tennessee has six home matches remaining on the schedule, including Sunday, and five road matches.
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 two goals through five matches in 2026, posting three clean sheets.
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.
The match will air live on SEC Network+.
Admission is free for all regular-season Tennessee soccer matches. For fans planning to attend, note that Tennessee's clear bag policy will be in effect again this season. Regal Soccer Stadium will be a cashless venue for both concessions and the VolShop this season. Sunday's match will feature a scarf giveaway; vouchers will be distributed pregame and can be redeemed at halftime in front of the exhibit hall. Complete soccer match day information can be found here.
The Lady Vols (4-0-1) return home after battling to a 1-1 draw on the road at No. 12 Virginia. Despite not picking up the win, Tennessee remains unbeaten in 2026 and has an opportunity to secure a second consecutive unbeaten regular season nonconference record.
Cheetah Time: Taylor Cheatham's early strike at No. 12 Virginia was ultimately enough to deliver a draw for the Lady Vols. Now with two goals in 2026, Cheatham continues to provide a pacey spark on the wing for Tennessee's attack.
The goal came at the end of a lightning-quick counterattack, spurred by Ines Derrien and Shae O'Rourke, who were each awarded assists on the play for a pair of incisive passes.
Nonconference Finale: Sunday's match against Northwestern at Regal Soccer Stadium is the final of six non-conference contests for Tennessee in 2026.
The Lady Vols are unbeaten through five matches, holding a 4-0-1 record after a 1-1 draw at No. 12 Virginia on Thursday night. Tennessee has not lost a non-conference match since the 2024 season opener at Indiana, as the Lady Vols went unbeaten outside of SEC play in 2025.
Northwestern will be the second Big Ten opponent Tennessee has faced in 2026, with the Lady Vols defeating Rutgers 4-1 in the season opener Aug. 13 at Regal Soccer Stadium.
Back in a Few: Sunday's match will be the final home contest for Tennessee until Sept. 24 against Mississippi State. The Lady Vols open SEC play with two consecutive road matches, heading to LSU on Sept. 11 and Texas on Sept. 18.
Tennessee has six home matches remaining on the schedule, including Sunday, and five road matches.
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 two goals through five matches in 2026, posting three clean sheets.
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 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.
Despite conceding one goal at No. 12 Virginia, Tennessee's goals against average of 0.40 ranks top-30 nationally and second in the SEC.
Multi-Time Goalscorers: With Cheatham finding the back of the net for the second time in 2026 on Thursday night, the Lady Vols now have four players with multiple goals this season.
Cheatham joins Kylee Simmons, Kai Tsakiris, and Jayla Blue as multi-time goalscorers. Simmons leads the pack with three goals, while Tsakiris and Blue have two goals alongside Cheatham.
Additionally, with O'Rourke and Derrien adding assists in the Virginia match, Tennessee now has five players with multiple assists in 2026. Bella Smith leads the team with three assists in just four appearances.
A Look at Northwestern: The Wildcats have had a mixed bag of results to begin the 2026 season, holding a 2-2-2 record. Majority of Northwestern's contests this season have been low-scoring affairs, as the team has scored just four goals in six matches.
On the other hand, they have conceded just five goals this season, holding an impressive 0.83 goals against average.
The Wildcats opened the season with a common opponent, suffering a 3-1 defeat on the road to Virginia. Northwestern's other defeat came at the hands of Syracuse, a 1-0 loss on home turf in the season's second match.
Northwestern is unbeaten in its last four matches behind a pair of 1-0 victories over Denver and Butler and draws against Illinois State and, most recently, Loyola Chicago.
Players Mentioned
F
/ Soccer
F
/ Soccer
M
/ Soccer
GK
/ Soccer
F
/ Soccer
M
/ Soccer
M/F
/ SoccerWednesday, August 12
Saturday, November 15
Tuesday, November 11
Tuesday, November 11
