Tennessee soccer pulls out gritty 1-0 win against Georgia
The Vols took down the Bulldogs at home in a close, physical matchup.
The Tennessee Lady Vols (8-4-1) hosted the Georgia Bulldogs (5-6-2) in a 1-0 win to begin a two game win streak.
In the Vols’ last time out, they won their first SEC game of the season against Kentucky to snap a three game losing streak. Tennessee scored two goals in the first half against the Wildcats but could not get on the board until the second half tonight.
The Lady Vols and Bulldogs went into half knotted up at 0-0. Both teams had a fair amount of chances to score. However, neither team could put the ball in the net. Tennessee had six shots with two on goal, and Georgia had four with one on goal at the half.
The match was very physical with a total of 10 first half fouls. Georgia committed seven of the first half fouls and ended the game with 19 compared to Tennessee’s three at the half and six total. Despite the aggressive play, no cards were handed out in the first half.
The Lady Vols came out determined in the second half, and Mackenzie George had two shots on goal before in the first minute of the half.
This was quickly followed up by a penalty kick goal from MA Vignola in the 46th minute. The goal was set up by a foul from Georgia’s Cecily Stoute that earned her a yellow card.
“When we walked into the locker room we could tell that there was a buzz and an energy and a ‘let’s freaking go’ amongst them, and that’s how they came out,” Tennessee coach Brian Pensky said.
After a series of events going against Georgia, including a no call on Tennessee and a foul on Weldon Kolker, Kolker was handed a yellow card in the 52nd minute. This was Georgia’s second of the night.
The physical play continued when just a minute later, Tennessee was handed their first and only yellow card of the night after a foul by Maya Neal.
Georgia earned their third yellow card after a collision of a Tennessee player and Caroline Chipman in the 70th minute. They received their fourth yellow card in the 77th minute on Haley Sorrell.
Tennessee played great defense throughout the night holding the Bulldogs to just seven shots and three on goal. Lindsey Romig had a remarkable diving save in the 49th minute to keep Georgia scoreless. She ended the game with three saves.
Tennessee will play their next match in Columbia, Missouri against the Missouri Tigers at 2 p.m. EST on Sunday. SEC Network+ will air the match.
Featured image courtesy of Tennessee Soccer’s Twitter (@Vol_Soccer)
Edited by Ciera Noe and Christian Knox
Ryan Sylvia is the Sports Editor at TNJN. He is a senior at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville majoring in journalism and electronic media. Although he spent most of his life being raised outside of Philadelphia, he was born in Knoxville, and he is happy to be back home. Ryan has had a love for sports from an early age, and he found his love for writing in high school while taking journalism classes. He hopes to find a job involving both his passions as a sports journalist after graduation. To reach Ryan, email him at rsylvia@vols.utk.edu
