A different player’s offensive skills were on view Friday night as the No. 6 Tennessee soccer team took on instate rival Vanderbilt.
After senior forward Kayla Lockaby dominated the action two weekends ago and freshman defender Genna Gorman earned All-SEC Player of the Week honors after her performance a week ago, it was senior forward Lyndsey Patterson who garnered the attention with the lone score of the game.
“Lyndsey Patterson definitely deserved that goal,” UT coach Angela Kelly said about Patterson, who hadn’t scored since the opening goal of the season against Duke despite numerous opportunities.
In the end, the Lady Vols’ streak continues. With a 1-0 victory over the Commodores, Tennessee improved to 7-0 in SEC competition.
The fast start in conference play marks a program-best for the Lady Vols.
But in this win, Kelly said the credit goes to Patterson.
“She is so incredibly dynamic with the ball and has created so many scoring opportunities in our attacking third,” Kelly said. “She deserves to have a goal for herself.”
Twenty-seven seconds into the second half action, Patterson hammered home the score off the goalpost. The goal came off a cross pass from freshman forward Emily Redberg, followed by Patterson eluding Vanderbilt goalkeeper Tyler Griffin for the 1-0 UT lead.
Griffin had plenty of opportunities to show off her skills in the net during the second half, as Tennessee’s offensive attack aggressively pursued further goals. Griffin, however, emerged with eight saves on the night and blocked other potential UT scoring despite a decisive 23-6 edge in shots for Tennessee.
Kelly continues to be pleased with the performance of her SEC-leading team but still sees room for improvement.
“It was another great performance protecting the ball,” Kelly said. “We outshot Vanderbilt, 23-6, but we need to convert better on our offensive opportunities.”
UT goalkeeper Vanessa Phillips-Bosshart had a relatively easy night tending the nets, with only three saves of Commodore shots-on-goal. The shutout marks the 17th in Phillips-Bosshart’s two-year career as starting goalkeeper for UT and establishes a new program record for career shutouts.
With the win, Tennessee earned its tenth victory of the 2004 campaign. The Oct. 15 victory marked UT’s fastest ascension to the double-digit win mark.
The Lady Vols control the SEC East with an unblemished record. Florida, at 4-2-1 in SEC competition, holds the second spot in the division.
A showdown for the top spot in the league overall could emerge when top-ranked Tennessee travels to Auburn for a contest on Friday. The Tigers stood at 6-0-1 in conference play heading into Sunday’s matchup at LSU.
Lady Vols pitch second weekend shutout against Wildcats
The Tennessee soccer team (11-2-2, 8-0 SEC) defeated Kentucky, 1-0, Sunday afternoon after a header from senior Keeley Dowling with just four seconds remaining in the game.
The Lady Vols have now tied the program’s record with nine straight wins.
