Despite a shakeup in the starting lineup, Tennessee soccer tied with Florida 0-0 on Thursday night at Regal Stadium.
The No. 4 Lady Vols (11-1-3, 5-1-2 SEC) have now tied two straight matches, drawing with Oklahoma 0-0 in Norman last week. The Gators (6-5-4, 2-2-4) have been picking up momentum lately, winning their last two matches.
The Lady Vols elected to make a few substitutions in their starting lineup to begin the match. Sophomore forward Alivia Stott and redshirt freshman Devin Davis both got the starting nod. Heading into the match, Stott and Davis had only logged one start each this season.
“Yeah, it’s really exciting,” Davis said. “I just have to show up every day and work as hard as I can, but credit to everyone on the team. We play really well together, and we all talk about it all the time. We stay connected all the time.”
Tennessee also elected to start five midfielders, giving its offense some extra help in the opening half. The move paid off, as the Lady Vols’ offense was apparent to start the match.
Despite a slow first 10 minutes, Tennessee quickly changed the tempo. The Lady Vols managed 12 shots in the first half, five of which were on goal. Stott contributed a shot on goal, but the Lady Vols were gridlocked with the Gators at 0 heading into halftime.
“Our coaches just had to fire us up more,” Davis said. “Mike would just say, ‘You guys are being so soft. We don’t take this stuff. Come on, like, go give it to them. Like, we’re done with this.’ Then we kind of just like, ‘Alright, turn it on.’”
The Lady Vols kept up the offensive effort in the second half. They matched their first half total, adding another 12 shots, including six more shots on goal. However, they were unable to convert those shots into goals, ending the game with a 0-0 draw with the Gators.
“We’ve been talking about it over the last couple weeks, continuing to create chances and looking to shoot, and they did that tonight,” head coach Joe Kirt said. “The keeper made some plays, credit to her and the box in front of her made some plays. But that’s what we’ve been working towards, trying to create more chances, and we did that tonight.”
Davis logged three shots in the second half, one of which was on goal. Prior to Thursday night, she has only logged one shot on goal in her career.
“I think, you know, the depth of our team, and it’s no different with those players.” Kirt said. “Jenna’s (Stayart) day-to-day with an injury. You know, Dak (Dakota Brown) and Devin played well the other night, and they’ve been playing well all year. They stepped in and did a good job. So, I think it speaks to the depth of our team and the talent we have on our team.”
Tennessee will remain the No. 2 team in the SEC, behind just No. 11 Arkansas. The Lady Vols will be on the road for their next match, traveling to Nashville on Sunday, Oct. 19 to face No. 21 Vanderbilt. The Commodores are 11-3-1 this season, and 4-2-1 in SEC play.
