Blog

Aug 08, 2023

MATCH CENTRAL: Tennessee vs. Indiana

Tennessee will be back in action on Thursday night, hosting Indiana in a 6 p.m. ET contest. The Lady Vols (3-1-0) are looking to bounce back from a 2-1 loss on the road at SMU on Sunday. Graduate

Tennessee will be back in action on Thursday night, hosting Indiana in a 6 p.m. ET contest. The Lady Vols (3-1-0) are looking to bounce back from a 2-1 loss on the road at SMU on Sunday. Graduate Sizzy Lawton was the goal-scorer for UT in that match, logging her first goal as a Lady Vol. Indiana (3-0-1) enters the match undefeated, having claimed a 1-0 win over Evansville in its last outing.

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:

VS THE HOOSIERS: This is just the second meeting between the programs, with IU winning 2-0 in the prior meeting on Aug. 29, 2008.SCOUTING IU: The Hoosiers finished the 2022 season with an overall record of 3-7-7 and a 1-7-2 mark in conference play. This season, they were voted to tie for 13th in the Big Ten by the league's coaches. Junior keeper Jamie Gerstenberg, senior defender Zoe Tiger and graduate forward Paige Webber were named to the 2023 Big Ten Women's Soccer Players to Watch List.SIMMONDS BY THE NUMBERS: With a brace against ETSU, Simmonds moved her goal count to a team-leading four on the season. She has scored those four goals on just 11 shots, and she currently ties for 15th among all NCAA D-1 players for total goals. She is tied for first in the SEC with Jordyn Rhodes of Kentucky for total goals (4) and points (8) .CREATING CHANCES: The Lady Vols have taken 44 corner kicks on the season while limiting opponents to just 11. They currently rank first nationally with 11.0 corner kicks per game.

EVERYONE IS DANGEROUS: UT's 11 goals thus far have been scored by seven different players. Freshmen Sarah Greiner, Kate Runyon and Keaton Mitchell, sophomore Kameron Simmonds (4), junior Jordan Fusco, redshirt-senior Maria Nelson 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 have 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.TRACKING THOMAS: Jaida Thomas finished the 2022 season with 13 goals to rank second in the SEC. She enters the 2023 season with a career total of 38 goals, sitting within five of tying Kylee Rossi at No. 1 all time in career goals scored at UT.

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 host Radford in its final home match of the non-conference slate at 7 p.m. ET on Thurs., Sept. 7.