By Aidan Corley
A packed-out Regal Stadium is becoming a familiar sight on Rocky Top. Fresh off a record-breaking night with nearly 5,500 fans in attendance, 4,793 more were out in checker overalls, Smokey hats, or whatever orange they could get their hands on to support Tennessee (4-0-0) in their 4-0 win over Western Carolina (1-2-1). Head coach Joe Kirt couldn’t be happier with Vol Nation and his squad.
“Shoutout to our students tonight. I mean, tremendous,” Kirt said. “Our fans tonight were big time. Packed Regal two nights in a row and a ton of energy from, love that. The performance from our team, just as good as fan support. They were tremendous tonight.”
The celebrations began long before a ball was kicked as Shae O’Rourke, Kylee Simmons, Dakota Brown, and Lauryn Berry were recognized for Senior Day. A moment to take it all in on a field they’ve given everything for.
From the opening whistle, Tennessee was on easy street. A perfect performance on a perfect Sunday evening to cap off a perfect home stretch to begin the season.
It took only 53 seconds for the pregame festivities to carry over to the field when Kai Tsakiris was brought down in the box, earning a penalty. Simmons calmly stepped up to the spot and smashed the ball into the top corner for her third goal of the season.
It was about as close as you could come to a game being over before it even started.
Western Carolina lined up with a backline of five defenders with the intention of frustrating the Lady Vols, holding them off for as long as possible, and hoping for a counterattack or a set piece opportunity to sneak a goal. Those plans were shattered before a single minute had gone by, and with Lady Vol fans wired up, the remaining 89 minutes would be grueling.
After seeing her senior striker counterpart score, O’Rourke decided it was her turn to get in on the act. Immediately following the penalty, O’Rourke had two golden opportunities to double the lead. The first being a cross just beyond her reach that she steered wide and shortly after a shot in the box that was met by Western Carolina keeper Amara Yetka. The third time was the charm for O’Rourke in the 10th minute.
Milee Zych served up a deep ball on a dime for O’Rourke, who connected with a looping header over the outstretched arms of Yetka to give Tennessee a two-goal cushion that they would eventually take into halftime.
Ines Derrien came closest to adding a third before the half, striking the crossbar in the 17th minute as Tennessee never let their foot off the gas.
The Lady Vols were playing with a spring in their step and a sense of inevitability that had the Catamounts constantly on their heels. Creating chance after chance, Tennessee finally found the back of the net for a third time through Jayla Blue.
Western Carolina failed to clear a corner kick properly as the ball trickled out to Zych who lofted it back into the danger area. Blue was the most alert to the situation and beat the keeper to the ball and was staring at an empty net for a tap-in.
Zych picked up her second assist of the night, whose eye for a pass out of the back has proved to be a difference maker for Tennessee.
“She’s really worked at improving the weight in her passes, and something we’ve talked about a decent bit in training about that ball that she hit tonight,” Kirt said. “She’s able to hit it, she’s looking for it, and we’ve got players in good spots to get on the end of it.”
Olivia Feagin sealed the deal in the 84th minute, cleaning up the scraps of a corner kick, making it 4-0, scoring her first Tennessee goal and capping off a flawless Tennessee performance as they outshot Western Carolina 33-1.
Just over two weeks ago, this Tennessee soccer team stepped onto the field for the first time, with many unknowns about what it would look like. Since then, they have passed every test with flying colors through an opening stretch of home games. A machine that had every possibility to have a rusty start looks well-oiled, the chemistry is apparent, the vibes are high, and the results match it.
What impresses Kirt the most? His team’s intentionality.
“They’ve been very, very true to what we want them to be,” Kirt said. “They haven’t become frustrated against teams that have sat; they continue to plug away, continue to do the things that are going to make us successful.”
“They’ve taken what the game gives them, been really proud of them for that. They haven’t forced anything, but they’ve been creative and problem-solving in what they’re doing. So it’s exciting,” Kirt said. “They’re playing with a maturity that we didn’t know we were going to get, but they’ve done really well with it.”
Comeback Complete
Exactly one year ago, Shae O’Rourke scored her fifth goal in just her fourth game of the 2025 season. Her next game coincidentally against Western Carolina would be her last before being sidelined with an ACL injury for the remainder of the season.
O’Rourke was a revelation going forward for the Lady Vols with the ability to win games on her own and claw Tennessee out of difficult situations. Her absence was something Tennessee failed to fully recover from, but she has been healthy in time for the new campaign.
O’Rourke has been getting back into the swing of things, notching an assist against Rutgers on her return to the field, but that first goal was escaping her. Shots getting saved, rattling the crossbar on a penalty. The lid finally came off against Western Carolina on a date that makes it hard to believe in coincidences.
“A big day for her against the group of the last game she played in last year,” Kirt said. “For her to score a goal is pretty cool and I’m excited for her. It’s great to see her back on the field and scoring.”
Triple Threat
Where Tennessee may have been dull and lacked creativity a year ago they have in abundance through Blue, Tsakiris, and Taylor Cheatham. Three wingers with blistering speed and are dangerous as soon as the ball is in their vicinity.
If they are 1-on-1 with a defender, it is almost a foregone conclusion that they will beat them with some combination of speed, quick feet, and an inventive skill before getting to the box and creating a chance for themselves or someone else.
Tsakiris scored a brace in the season opener, notched an assist against Western Carolina, and also won the penalty converted by Simmons. Cheatham has picked a goal and an assist each, and Blue has scored in each of the last two games. All three newcomers have had an immediate impact and will be instrumental for Tennessee down the line.
“They’re all a handful 1-on-1 and you saw that tonight,” Kirt said. “Kai in the first minute of the game just got the defender on her heels, that’s all she could do, but all three of them were really good tonight… Taylor’s mentality was tremendous, obviously Jayla getting the goal but she was just as good.
“They can break you down one on one, they can also combine, deliver a final ball, so all three of them are really helping us in that final third.”
UP NEXT: Tennessee faces a tough road test in Charlottesville, taking on Virginia on Sep. 3.