Tennessee soccer made history on Thursday night, taking down top-ranked North Carolina at home, 2-0, for its first victory over a No. 1-ranked opponent. The win at Regal Soccer Stadium was headlined by redshirt junior Shae O’Rourke, who scored both goals in the second half to lift Tennessee (1-0) to a win.
O’Rourke’s first strike of the night came in the 57th minute. Redshirt senior Jenna Stayart spotted O’Rourke breaking down the right side of the pitch. Stayart threaded a pass to O’Rourke, who outpaced the Tar Heels’ goalkeeper for an open look. She crossed the ball into an open net, giving Tennessee a 1-0 advantage and her first goal as a Lady Vol.
The Lady Vols struck again 20 minutes later, sealing the win. In the 76th minute, senior Sarah Kate Rath launched a perfect cross to the far post. Again, O’Rourke was in the right place, booting the ball past the goalkeeper to extend the lead to two
While the win reflected a team effort, the night belonged to O’Rourke. The match was her first in over a year after suffering a torn ACL during spring practice at Texas A&M last year. The injury sidelined her for the entire 2024 season, and she found a fresh start in Knoxville.
“It means a lot,” O’Rourke said. “It’s just how much work I’ve put in to come back and all the injuries that I’ve come back from. It’s just a new era for us, a new era for me, so I’m really excited.”
Her journey to Tennessee has had multiple stops at other SEC schools. The New York native began her collegiate career at South Carolina, where she was a consistent contributor over her first two seasons. She then transferred to Texas A&M ahead of the 2024 season, where she tore her ACL and never appeared in a match for the Aggies.
“It’s incredibly challenging mentally to overcome injuries, especially when we’re looking at 15 months,” head coach Joe Kirt said. “That’s a long time to be away from the game that you love. For her to have that performance on the stage speaks to just her character, her perseverance, and her belief in herself.”
Despite the setbacks in her career, she showed no signs of rust in her Tennessee debut.
“It feels good,” O’Rourke said. “Honestly, I’m getting right back into it and just gotta forget about it and keep going.”
After losing last season’s leading scorer in Sammi Woods, the Lady Vols will need players like O’Rourke to step up offensively.
“I’m just hungry for more,” she said. “I sat out a whole year. Who wants to sit out? I’m just going to keep playing.”
The Lady Vols will be back in action on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Regal Stadium. Tennessee will host Eastern Kentucky for its last home game before a four-game stretch on the road.
This early win over the defending national champions will help Tennessee going forward, but Kirt is keeping his focus on just the next game.
“We gotta keep one game at a time, but it’s gonna help us moving forward.”
