Tennessee soccer will travel to Missouri in need of a result to move up in the SEC standings.
The Lady Vols (6-4-4, 1-3-3 SEC) are currently 12th in the conference standings while only the top 10 teams qualify to play for the SEC title in Pensacola, Florida. Missouri (5-6-3, 1-5-1) will also be looking to move upwards with a win.
After going down in Friday’s 2-1 loss to Georgia, both Kate Runyon and Kameron Simmonds are not expected to play during Thursday’s game.
“Kate has a decent injury, but she is doing alright,” head coach Joe Kirt said. “We will continue to treat it and see how she responds to that. Kameron is still day-to-day. Neither of them are certainly ruled out for the season.”
Runyon and Simmonds have combined for 10 of Tennessee’s 27 goals this season and represent a large chunk of goal production for the Lady Vols, which will need to be replaced on Thursday.
With Runyon out, Sarah Greiner is expected to play the bulk of the game at the center forward position. The true freshman has one goal this season, which came in the season-opening game against California. She has been part of the rotation up front all season and has game time in each of Tennessee’s seven conference games so far this year.
“Sarah Greiner is probably one of our best finishers on the team when she can stay balanced,” Kirt said. “She’s got all the ability in the world to score.”
With 11 different players finding the back of the net so far this season, there are many options for the Lady Vols to find a goal. Even with Simmonds and Runyon potentially unavailable, Tennessee has goal-scoring talent within its team.
The last time the Lady Vols traveled to play Missouri, it took two extra time periods to find the winner. It was a physical game, with a combined 22 fouls and five bookings between the two teams.
The venue itself lends itself to a tight style of play, which may hurt the Lady Vols, who do well to create chances.
“It’s a tough place to play,” Kirt said. “It’s a small field. It’s compact, so it’s physical.”
Kylee Simmons has scored 10 goals for Missouri — by far the most of any player for the Tigers. Five of these goals have come in conference play, which proves that she is an effective goal scorer even against the tougher defenses in the SEC.
“We have to make sure we’re accounting for her at all times,” Kirt said. “We’ve done a pretty good job for the most part in terms of our defending in limiting counter-attacking options, but we have got to be good about managing her.”
Even though Tennessee does not have a win in its last five games, the Lady Vols have still played well in their losses. In all three conference defeats so far this year, the Lady Vols have more shots than their opponent.
“We’re capable of winning every game,” Kirt said. “We have had one game all year that was a two-goal loss.”
However, the Lady Vols are currently at a stage where a result is necessary. Tennessee sits two points outside of an SEC tournament berth with just three games remaining. Getting results is currently a top priority.
“We have got to find a way to win whether that’s by getting a shutout or by out-scoring a team,” Kirt said. “I think that’s at the end of the day where we’re at.”
