The season hasn’t even gotten underway for the Tennessee women’s soccer team, yet they’ve already suffered a loss.
Toward the end of UT’s opening preseason practice, incoming freshman forward Emily Redberg suffered a season-ending injury. Redberg will undergo surgery Sept. 9 to repair a torn ACL in her left knee.
The early loss of Redberg leaves head coach Angela Kelly feeling the pressure of adapting and pulling together her team for the Aug. 29 opener against UC-Santa Barbara, which is the preseason pick to win the Big West Conference.
“We though that Emily was probably one of the most competitive incoming freshmen we have recruited,” Kelly said. “With her mentality and work ethic, our team was really looking forward to seeing what contributions she could make to the team as a freshman. So this is a loss for us, obviously.”
However, Kelly feels there is ample opportunity for her team to grow.
“Obviously, Emily’s injury lessens the depth at both the forward position and in the midfield, because she was a versatile player,” Kelly said.
“But we have a squad with a bunch of talent. I think we will pull together as a team and step up. We’ll make do with what we have remaining.”
With the injury to Redberg, the return of UT forward Rhian Wilkinson becomes even more important. Wilkinson spent her summer training with the Canadian National Team and representing her native country at the Pan Am Games.
Wilkinson currently remains with the 23-player Canadian team. She will represent Canada in its series against Mexico, playing in contests on Aug. 31 and Sept. 4 before returning to Tennessee.
The extended play with Team Canada means UT will play at least its first two or three matches without Wilkinson.
Kelly thinks that Wilkinson will return to the Lady Vols with a vast amount of experience under her belt.
“It has been an exciting year for Rhian and I am proud of her experiences on the international level so far,” Kelly said. “Any sort of training she receives with the national team can only benefit her and her UT teammates when she returns.”
Back in Knoxville, Wilkinson’s teammates continue to prepare as the season opener against the Gouchos draws near.
For the first time in five years, UT enters the season without an established goalkeeper, having lost both Cori Stevens and Ellen Dean to graduation.
In their absence, sophomore Vanessa Phillips-Bosshart is expected to step in and become Tennessee’s last line of defense. Phillips-Bosshart saw time in only one contest last season, but gained valuable experience competing against other college and club teams during the squad’s spring schedule.
Included in those contests were matchups against Duke and North Carolina, as well as a match against a professional team from Atlanta.
The only other goalkeeper on Tennessee’s roster is incoming freshman Kirby Zwickel, who earned All-State soccer accolades twice during her high school career.
Zwickel, however, is recovering from an injury of her own and is expected to merely provide competition for Phillips-Bosshart in practice.
With only one completely healthy goalkeeper, Kelly knows that Phillips-Bosshart’s readiness is of the utmost importance.
“Kirby is battling an injury, so right now we’re working very hard to have Vanessa ready to compete,” Kelly said. “She’s doing really well so far, but she can be even better.
“We as a coaching staff and as a team are doing everything we can to push ourselves and get better, not only at that position but at every position down the line.”
