Tennessee soccer made history again on Sunday afternoon, dismantling Eastern Kentucky 9-0 at Regal Stadium to tie the school record for most goals in a game. Sophomore forward Alivia Stott etched her name into record books, logging five goals in front of her hometown fans.
The Knoxville, Tennessee, native put together one of the best performances in school history, tying the record with five goals in a match. In just 42 minutes on the pitch, she logged six shots, with five meeting the back of the net. She became just the second player to achieve this feat, tying Allison Campbell’s five-goal game in 1998.
For Stott, the moment was made even more special by the setting. She attended Bearden High School, a short drive from the University of Tennessee.
“It’s just amazing to be here with these people, and these people are my family,” she said. “This is my hometown, so it’s amazing to be shown hometown love.”
While Stott’s performance stood out, she helped the Lady Vols tie the school record of nine goals, previously set in 1997 and 2002.
Despite starting on Thursday against North Carolina, she came off the bench in Sunday’s contest. Head coach Joe Kirt elected to go with a defensive lineup, giving Skylar Miller the starting nod over Stott.
Still, she made the best of her chances.
“It’s always hard coming off the bench,” she said. “But coming off the bench, you just have to put in the work, you just have to prove that you need to be on the field, and I think I did just that.”
Once she entered the pitch, she was by far the most explosive offensive threat. She showed off the multifaceted scoring arsenal, finishing with her head or feet after a perfectly timed run.
“She’s always been a goal scorer,” head coach Joe Kirt said. “She finds pockets of space, she’s got a unique ability, and her timing to find great spots in the box, and then the technical ability to finish it. We saw that today with her head or feet. That’s always been the case with her; it’s getting her in spots to do it, and we were able to do that today.”
But the sudden transition didn’t happen overnight.
Kirt noted that the second-year forward had impressed him in high school and that she stood out at spring practice this year.
“She’s been dangerous in the spring,” Kirt said. “We’ve known that all along. You look at what she did in high school. That’s who she is. It’s nothing that is new for her. It’s just finding a place in the college game and finding good pockets of space, and you saw that today.”
Stott credits her success in this game to the work she’s done in practice.
“I think just like a grittiness,” she said. “Being relentless on and off the ball. Defense is a part of it, even if you’re an attacker, so I think just embracing the hard stuff and then that makes everything else easier.”
After starting the season at home, the Lady Vols will hit the road for a four-game away stretch. This stretch includes UCLA, which is currently ranked No. 8.However, Tennessee will have a full head of momentum after its early-season success.
Forwards Shea O’Rourke and Stott will need to lead the attack as the Lady Vols face tough times.
“I mean, it’s amazing, you always remember your first goal,” Stott said. “But now I get to remember five, so that’s pretty special.”
