All Lady Vol opponents were shut out of this weekend’s First Tennessee Lady Vol Classic.
The opponents were there – they just didn’t score.
After defeating Richmond, 2-0, in Friday’s action, No.13 Tennessee pitched another shutout in Sunday afternoon’s match with Charlotte on its way to a 3-0 win.
The two weekend victories push Tennessee’s record to 5-1 on the season.
In the Charlotte contest, Tennessee struck its first blow early, scoring the first goal with little more than 11 minutes in. Junior midfielder Sue Flamini notched her second goal of the season off an assist from senior defender Kristen McGrath. McGrath redirected a cross pass to Flamini, who connected with the back of the net.
The Lady Vols served up a second goal with just over nine minutes remaining in the first half. Freshman forward Kristen Doukakis scored her first career goal off McGrath’s second assist of the day. McGrath connected with Doukakis, who connected from eight yards out.
Tennessee’s ability to push the tempo of the game allowed coach Angela Kelly to utilize the depth of her bench early and often during the contest. Several starters were given breathers during the course of the game, while some reserves saw their first action of the season.
The Lady Vols scored their final goal of the day at the 57:79 mark of the contest. Junior defender Keeley Dowling picked up her third goal of the season to give UT its final 3-0 mark. Dowling headed in an assist from junior midfielder Kayla Lockaby, who lobbied a corner kick from Flamini into Dowling’s path.
Tennessee picked up the shutout with some defensive effort against sophomore phenom Courtney Crandall. The preseason candidate for the Hermann Trophy, was limited to just one shot on the day. The 49ers were outshot by an 18-6 margin by the Lady Vols.
Tennessee’s first game of the weekend, against Richmond, marked sophomore goalkeeper Vanessa Phillips-Bosshart’s third shutout of the season. Junior midfielder Lyndsey Patterson and Dowling picked up Tennessee’s two goals on the night.
In other tournament action, Denver defeated Charlotte, 4-3, on Friday and Richmond, 1-0, in Sunday’s game. Both Denver and Tennessee had two wins on the weekend, but by virtue of the Lady Vols larger margin of victory, the UT picked up the tournament title. The title marked the first time in program history the Lady Vols won a tournament they hosted.
“It was a very exciting weekend for us to win both games in our tourney,” Kelly said after picking up the title.
Four Lady Vols were named to the All-Tournament team for their efforts in tournament play. Lockaby, Dowling, McGrath, and senior defender Marie-Eve Nault each were named as All-Tournament team members. Dowling was named as the defensive MVP, while Denver freshman forward Lleane Grimditch picked up offensive MVP honors.
Kelly said she thinks that her team’s weekend was the result of a collaborative effort.
“I thought we raised the level of our play and received tremendous performances from a number of different players,” Kelly said.
