Tennessee soccer held scorless in Gainesville

Tennessee soccer had been firing on all cylinders in their games heading into Sunday’s match-up with SEC rival Florida, but couldn’t contain the No. 12 Gators, losing 2-0 and extending Florida’s win streak over the Vols to six games.

The Vols (6-5, 2-2 SEC) were outshot by the Gators 24-8 and only had one shot on goal compared to 15 from Florida. Tennessee’s goalkeeping duo of Shae Yanez and Jamie Simmons combined for 13 saves on the night.

Taking on one of the best scoring teams in the nation, Tennessee was able to control the Gators early on. Sophomore goalkeeper Shae Yanez had eight strong saves in the first half, giving her a career high outing. The Vols had a tough time finding shooting opportunities, finishing with only two shots in the first half, both happening within the final two minutes of the half compared to 12 from the Gators.

After heading into the half scoreless, the game looked to be in anyone’s favor. Florida junior forward Savannah Jordan got the Gators on the board in the 69th minute and the momentum stayed with Florida for the rest of the evening. Vols red-shirt junior Ariel Kupritz had a chance to tie up the game in the 81st minute, but her shot would end up being too high to hit the goal. Florida would seal the deal with just under two minutes left in the game as freshman Sammie Betters netted her first-career goal.

The Vols were shutout for the first time since August 25, a streak spanning across eight games. In the three-game winning streak heading into Saturday, the Vols had kept their opponents scoreless.

Tennessee looks to get back on the winning track as it prepares for two home games, the first coming on Friday night as it hosts SEC rival Vanderbilt at Regal Stadium. That game will be streamed live on SEC Network + starting at 7 p.m. ET.

Edited by David Bradford

Featured image by Tim Casey

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