Last season, UT soccer coach Angela Kelly took a team that included headliners Kim Patrick and Rhian Wilkinson and a steadfast group of sophomores and turned them into SEC champions.
As a new season gets underway, Patrick is gone and the sophomores are juniors, but Kelly and her 12th-ranked Lady Vols are looking for more of the same.
In 2002, Tennessee became the first team other than Florida to win the SEC tournament title, doing so with a victory over the Lady Gators in the championship contest.
The Lady Vols continued from there, hosting and winning the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament – another first for the program – before falling to host North Carolina in the Sweet 16.
“I think last year we set high standards for our program by winning the SEC championship and moving forward in the NCAA tournament,” junior defender Keeley Dowling said. “This season we want to set higher goals, because we know we are capable of achieving them.”
Despite losing several players to graduation, no one is feeling sorry for Tennessee as they head into Friday’s 7 p.m. opener against UC-Santa Barbara.
Kelly brought in another highly-touted recruiting class to add to her ranks, picking some of the best from across America and Canada.
The newcomers are expected to compete for starting positions and complement the 18 letterwinners and seven starters returning from last year’s 18-6-1 squad.
Wilkinson will solidify the forward position when she returns from playing with the Canadian national team. The first-team All-SEC selection is expected to return for the team’s Sept. 5 contest at Brigham Young.
All-SEC honorable mention Lyndsey Patterson will be joined by freshmen Kristen Doukakis and Emily Redberg to contend for depth at forward.
“Rhian’s international experience will only help her anchor our stable of forwards,” Kelly said. “Depending on the system we decide to play on any given day, we could see numerous combinations of forward lines within our roster.”
Headlined by juniors Sue Flamini and Kayla Lockaby, the midfield position is the deepest on the team. Freshmen Ali Christoph and Jennifer Jeffers are expected to contend for playing time at the position.
“Our midfield is an area where we possess the most depth,” Kelly said. “I look forward to seeing the mentality and rhythm developed from the midfield throughout each match.
“The integration of the new players, including Ali and Jennifer, will be crucial to what we hope to accomplish this fall.”
The defender position is the most veteran of the team. Dowling, who is the program’s first preseason All-American, is joined by a group of seniors with plenty of experience.
“It is my belief that you have to possess a certain mindset to play defense, and each of my defenders share that mindset,” Kelly said. “I look for them to be a solid, cohesive unit with a good understanding of the game in front of them.
“Keeley will serve as our anchor and will be surrounded by several experienced players, as well as exciting newcomer Melissa Amado.”
Kelly will lean on the talent at each position to face what she is calling the toughest schedule the Lady Vols have ever faced.
Entering her third season with the Lady Vols, Dowling said she knows Tennessee’s road won’t be easy, but she also sees ample motivation.
“I think after last season’s success, we really are motivated as a team,” Dowling said. “We don’t just want to match what we did before, but we want to set that as a goal and move past it.
“As a team, we want to continue building this program.”
