KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Lady Vols soccer team secured their first win of the season Wednesday night at Regal Soccer Stadium, defeating Bowling Green 4-0. The win comes after a streak of two losses and one tie, all to top-25 opponents (UNC, SMU, and Duke). It was also head coach Joe Kirt’s first win as the head of the program after being on the sideline since 2007.
The first half of this match saw Tennessee get off to a strong start in which they dominated the offensive side of the ball in both time of possession and shots (10-1). But even with this offensive control, the Lady Vols were unable to find the net, and the first half ended scoreless for both sides.
The second half of the matchup saw the Lady Vols’ offensive authority continue, but this time it began to pay off.
Sophomore forward Taylor Huff opened up the scoring for the Lady Vols, and the match when she scored off an assist from Maria Nelson at the 51:06 mark. Then later in the half Jaida Thomas scored two goals both assisted by Huff less than a minute apart, giving Tennessee a 3-0 lead and moving Thomas up to third on the Lady Vols’ all-time scoring record book.
Jenna Stayart capped off the night by scoring her first goal as a Lady Vol at the 74:34 mark and giving Tennessee its four-goal win.
After starting off with one of the toughest schedules in all of college soccer, the Lady Vols will have a bit of an easier go at it before starting SEC play as they face off against Tennessee Tech, Kennesaw State, and Queens. However, the Lady Vols still have a lot to figure out.
“It goes back to our mentality and making sure we allow this team to come out and set the pace initially,” Kirt said. “It’s about us and how good we can be”.
The Lady Vols will be back in action at Regal Soccer Stadium on Sunday at 7 P.M. EST against in-state rival Tennessee Tech.