Lady Vols soccer coach Angela Kelly is not bashful when talking about her team’s goals, even if the team has fallen short in the past two seasons.

“The expectations are very high at Tennessee, as they should be,” Kelly said. “(Interim Athletic Director) Joan Cronan has given us everything we could possibly ask for …”

Those “expectations” are to achieve the triple crown — win the SEC regular season and tournament, and earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2008.

With 10 upperclassmen, the Lady Vols return key players all over the field, including 10 of their 12 goal scorers from last season.

After finishing last season with a 10-9-1 record (7-3-1 SEC) and a first-round exit in the SEC Tournament for a second consecutive year, Tennessee was picked to finish fourth in the SEC East in the league coaches’ preseason poll, but that isn’t deterring the team’s confidence.

“This is absolutely the year (to get back to the NCAAs),” senior midfielder/forward Chelsea Hatcher said. “We’re coming for it.”

The team already has two road wins against Big 12 opponents Kansas and Oklahoma from last weekend, and hosts the First Tennessee Classic Friday through Sunday where it will play against No. 15 UCLA and No. 18 Texas A&M.

Hatcher is the most notable returner for Tennessee. The Cincinnati, Ohio native led the team with eight goals while also adding four assists as a First Team All-SEC selection in 2010. She started in all 20 matches.

“She’s a force to be reckoned with,” Kelly said. “I wouldn’t want to be preparing to play against her.

“Along with her teammates, there’s not a predictable attack. And I think that’s what’s going to allow us to be exciting to watch this year.”

Hatcher recently became just the second Lady Vol in program history to be named a top-30 preseason finalist for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award, given yearly to a student-athlete who performs well on and off the field.

“I just want to win,” Hatcher said. “If I can contribute to the win by X amount of goals or X amount of assists, that’s great. But at the end of the day, I want to win the triple crown and get back to the NCAA Tournament.”

Sophomore midfielder/forward Caroline Brown has already emerged as a vital contributor, scoring three goals in two games, matching her season total from last year. She was named SEC Offensive Player of the Week and a CollegeSoccer360.com Primetime Performer of the Week.

The team welcomes 11 freshmen, including goalkeeper Julie Eckel, who will replace Molly Baird, a two-season starter for the Lady Vols before she graduated. Eckel currently holds one shutout and allowed one goal in two games.

“It went really well,” Eckel said. “I was nervous about playing and stuff, but the team and staff and everyone was really supportive.”

Eckel may have been nervous about starting as a freshman, but Kelly has not been nervous about placing her in the goal so far.

“I’ve always said, ‘If a freshman comes in and she’s one of the best 11, she’s going to play,’” Kelly said. “I think Julie Eckel is not only demonstrating that in training, but she’s demonstrating that in each of the three games so far.”

Despite lofty goals, Kelly still intends to keep the squad grounded and focused.

“Last weekend’s passed,” she said. “We took the experiences and we’re moving forward. We’re not concerned about tomorrow. We’re just concerned about doing everything today to make us better.

“We’re certainly moving in the right direction.”