By Aidan Corley
New season, new uniforms, but most importantly, a newly reconstructed roster. Tennessee soccer has undergone a total squad renovation since last season, with a team that features 15 newcomers with a blend of fresh faces and bundles of experience.
Some things remained the same, though. They still wear orange and white, they still play at Regal Stadium, and Joe Kirt is still the head coach. That’s a recipe that has become synonymous with results like the 4-1 win against Rutgers on Thursday night. For Kirt to prepare his team for the new season, the message was simple.
“Be us, we’ve been working for nine months on who we are,” Kirt said. “We talked about it before the game, this is all about us and what we do. Our standard, our style, and they did a great job of that.”
For the vast majority of the game, it looked like Us 2.0. A shiny, new and improved version of Lady Vol soccer. The same intense back line that slams the door shut and puts a padlock on it for good measure that Tennessee fans have become accustomed to, but with a newfound dynamism going forward that has been lacking. A spine of Tennessee experience that knows the program inside and out with a new sprinkle of flair on top. USC transfer Ines Derrien moving around midfield like a Rolls-Royce, freshman Ayva Jordan breezing past defenders on the wing like a Ferrari.
Tennessee’s attack looked fluid and effortless nearly every time going forward, and on another night could have tacked on a few more goals. A thought that seemed impossible as the 2025 season wound down.
“Really great performance from our team tonight in every phase,” Kirt said. “That’s a really physical, tough, hard-nosed Rutgers team that made it really difficult for us. Players showed up to compete, represented who we are really well.”
A Dominant Display
From kick-off, the Lady Vols were a step faster and more physical while Rutgers looked asleep. After controlling the possession early, it took Kylee Simmons just eight minutes to make her mark on the season.
Tennessee pounced on a loose ball in midfield and carved through the Rutgers defense on a swift counterattack ending with Derrien slipping in with Jordan in the box, who found Simmons all alone at the back post. After having her initial shot saved, Simmons rebounded her miss to give the Lady Vols a quick lead. They never looked back.
“I’ve just been waiting for that moment,” Simmons said. “This school is my pride and joy, and I bleed orange. I’ve bled orange ever since I got here. I’m just so grateful.”
Rutgers went even farther into its shell after falling behind, pinned back and struggling to get out of their own half. Tennessee could smell blood and was looking to capitalize on it. Derrien was the heartbeat of a Lady Vol attack, creating chances for fun and piling on shots. Rutgers didn’t register a shot of its own until the 27th minute and never troubled keeper Cayden Norris in the first half.
Seventeen seconds after subbing on in the 32nd minute, Florida transfer Kai Tsakiris scored with her first touch in a Tennessee uniform. Tsakiris found herself in the right place at the right time as the ball bounced to her in the box following a Tennessee free kick that begged to be put away.
Tennessee took a two-goal lead into the half, and Simmons had a moment of deja vu in the 66th minute when she was free at the back post and Penn State transfer Taylor Cheatham picked her out on a cross that Simmons calmly placed into the back of the net.
A moment of miscommunication allowed Rutgers a lifeline with just under 15 minutes remaining. Striker Emma Johns pounced on a ball outside the box that neither Tennessee defender seemed to know what to do with. Johns slotted the ball past Norris, and a brief spell of Rutgers pressure followed before Tsakiris was fouled in the box and converted a penalty for Tennessee to end any doubts.
One year ago, Tennessee shocked the college soccer world with an opening night win over top-ranked North Carolina.
Thursday’s opening night win over Rutgers was strictly business.
Regal Stadium has become Tennessee’s fortress, a place where they have not lost a regular-season game since 2024.
“It’s a huge way to start the year; first games are tough,” Kirt said. “It’s hard at the beginning of the year to win, and for us to come out and do it convincingly was credit to our team, players, how hard they’ve worked over the past month, and how hard they worked tonight.”
Welcome Back Kylee Simmons
Last season, Simmons had to watch from the sidelines as her teammates played in a historic campaign she couldn’t contribute to. It had been almost two years since she had played in any competitive game.
“I’ve missed the game so much and I wouldn’t be able to do it without my team. They’ve been my lifeline this past year,” Simmons said. “Since the day I got injured, since the day I had surgery, I’ve been journaling stay focused on the journey.”
Even stepping on the field again would be a moment Simmons would never forget.
“I was just grateful for any minutes, any touch on the field. It’s different than practice,” Simmons said. “I knew it was something that I could do and something I was ready for, and I was just so excited to step out with my team today.”
Simmons more than made up for lost time, picking up two goals in her first game as a Volunteer, already looking like a crucial piece of a formidable frontline.
UP NEXT: No. 24 Tennessee will take on South Alabama at Regal Stadium on Sunday, August 16 at 2 p.m.