By Aidan Corley
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – What’s that coming down the track? Well, the mean machine in red and black derailed somewhere between Athens and Knoxville. There was nothing finer in the land than yet another Tennessee win in Regal Stadium Thursday night.
No. 5 Tennessee (10-1-1, 4-1-0 SEC) defeated No. 17 Georgia (7-3-3, 3-1-1 SEC) 2-0 to notch their fourth consecutive conference victory, bringing the Lady Vols within one point of conference leaders Arkansas and Mississippi State. The fourth conference win of the season eclipses Tennessee’s three total conference wins in 2024, and it’s the first time they’ve recorded four SEC wins in a row since 2022. Georgia’s loss sees a nine-game away unbeaten streak dating back to last season snapped, and the first SEC road loss for the Bulldogs since 2023.
Jenna Stayart’s fourth goal of the season broke the deadlock for the Lady Vols, and Ally Brown later sealed the victory. Tennessee won a free kick at midfield in the 22nd minute, and it was deja vu for Leah Klurman, who had the ball played short to her and picked out Stayart, making a run into the box, mimicking Stayart’s game-winning goal against Georgia Southern. Stayart beat the keeper to the ball and squeezed a shot into the near post, giving the Lady Vols an all-important lead.
“Every time I lock eyes with Leah, I know she can play a ball on a dime,” Stayart said. “Just like she’s done before, I saw her look at me, so I just started running. The ball landed literally right in front of me, and I kept running and got in the net.”
Tennessee protected that one-goal lead up until the 79th minute when a Dakota Brown corner found the head of Ally Brown on the back post, who outjumped everyone to double the advantage. Brown’s goal came at a crucial time in the game and ultimately put a dangerous Georgia team away.
Early Bulldog Pressure
After an early foray forward for Tennessee, including a corner and a shot over the bar by Luciana Latino, the first 20 minutes were all Georgia. The Lady Vols struggled to string passes together and get the ball out of their own defensive third. Summer Denigan, the SEC’s leading scorer, and company for Georgia were keeping goalkeeper Cayden Norris and her backline busy, accumulating five first-half shots, and constantly picking up the ball in dangerous positions.
Tennessee was able to absorb Georgia’s early offensive storm unscathed and finally earned a free kick that allowed them to commit bodies forward for the first time since the opening touches of the game. Stayart would go on to score from this free kick, and the rest is history.
The Lady Vols grew in confidence after the goal, created more chances, and were able to play themselves out of Georgia’s pressure with more regularity.
“We talked about that throughout the game, and Jon (Morgan) mentioned it, the start of the game it’s going to be tight. They’re going to work, they’re going to press, the game goes on, it’s going to open, and that’s what happened,” head coach Joe Kirt said. “Proud of maintaining our identity, continuing to believe in who we are, and taking the opportunities that are presented.”
Kate Runyon and Skylar Miller had silky link-up play at the top of the box, where Miller found herself one-on-one with the keeper after a series of one-touch passes. Miller almost provided the second, but she struck the post as the first half drew to a close.
Tennessee was able to create more chances in the second half, with Mac Midgley and Reese Mattern at the heart of it. Mattern, who has dominated the right side of the field this season, had a curling left-footed shot headed for the top left corner saved early in the second half. Midgley drove into the box and was able to earn the corner that doubled Tennessee’s lead. The pair was electric together and caused problems for Georgia defenders all half.
Experience Prevails
The Lady Vols boast loads of experience, returning 22 players from last year’s squad as well as bringing in transfers with SEC experience. That experience has proved to be invaluable this season, with the Lady Vols surpassing their 2024 win total and surging to the top of the SEC and national rankings. Games like tonight showed that Tennessee is prepared for anything that can be thrown at them.
“There’s no substitute for experience, it’s tough to see out a game… even from this year the situations we’ve been up a goal or two goals and having to see games out has definitely helped us,” Kirt said. “We’re tremendous, composed, calm, defended well, and saw the game out. Proud of the group, both from what we’ve done in the past, but also what we’ve done in the past few weeks.”
There isn’t a veteran presence quite like Ally Brown, who scored her second goal of the season at a vital time. Brown leads the team with 1011 minutes played this season, and led the team last season with 1800 minutes. She is the backbone of a defense that has conceded just four goals all season and recorded 10 clean sheets.
“She’s been such a consistent part of our group, her and Mac (Midgley). Just their presence, their composure, they’re calm,” Kirt said. “She’s not always flashy, obviously she gets a goal tonight, but she’s so effective, and negates so much for other teams and also helps us so much in possession.”
Home Dominance
The win over the Bulldogs made it five wins from five in Regal Stadium this season. After opening the season with a win over No. 1 North Carolina, the Lady Vols have been perfect ever since, only conceding one goal at home all season. Regal Stadium has become a fortress for the Lady Vols this season in a conference where winning your home games feels like a must.
“It’s really difficult to win on the road in this league, and to protect Regal here in front of our home fans, another great turnout tonight, that’s what you have to do in this league if you’re going to be successful,” Kirt said. “ Credit to our team, we’ve done that… they’ve been tremendous here.”
Up Next
The Lady Vols begin a two-game road trip, traveling to Oxford to take on Ole Miss on Sunday, Oct. 5, at 3 p.m. ET.