When the Tennessee Lady Volunteers soccer team kicks their game off against the Arkansas Razorbacks on Friday, they may do so in front of a raucous crowd at Regal Soccer Stadium.
Not only is it homecoming weekend, but the marketing staff will also be giving away orange Tennessee scarves to the first 600 fans who arrive at the game.
Add in the Lady Vols’ student section – the Regal Rowdies – and you have a stadium potentially flooded with more than 1,500 fans.
While playing in front of a large crowd on homecoming weekend certainly makes the game more exciting, Tennessee sophomore forward Anna McClung insists this upcoming game against the Razorbacks is the same as any other SEC contest.
“Honestly, all the games in the SEC are very big games,” said McClung, who is tied for second on the team in goals with three. “Of course (homecoming weekend) is something that we think about and encourages us to do more, but regardless we are ready for this weekend.”
Every SEC game is indeed important for the Lady Vols from here on out, as they currently sit 11th in the standings at 1-3-1.
Tennessee will have a golden opportunity to improve their position in the standings as they begin a three-game home stand against Arkansas.
But in order to beat Arkansas on Friday and other SEC teams in the future, the Lady Vols will have to find a way to score more goals on a consistent basis.
Through five SEC games, Tennessee has only scored five goals – four of them coming against basement-dweller, Mississippi State.
The Lady Vols rank No. 11 in the SEC in goals per game and are last in the SEC in shots per game.
Tennessee head soccer coach Brian Pensky said “sporadic possession” is one of the main reasons for the Lady Vols’ attacking woes.
“Whether it is a final pass, or the quality of a cross, or the numbers of runners in the box, we have not had enough quality in the front half of the field,” Pensky said.
His soccer team may have the chance to solve some of their attacking problems against Arkansas as the Razorbacks rank near the bottom of the SEC in goals allowed and shots allowed.
Pensky suggested, however, that those statistics could be a product of Arkansas’ tough non-conference schedule and having already played some tough conference teams such as Florida.
Tennessee will also have to watch out for Arkansas forward Ashleigh Ellenwood, who has five goals, seven assists and has taken 48 shots on the season.
“Ellenwood is a handful and she can hurt you in a number of ways,” Pensky said. “She is strong. She is good-sized. She is fast. She can shoot from distance, she can get on the end of crosses. She is one of their targets on free kicks and corner kicks.”
The Lady Vols backline should be ready for Ellenwood considering they have played great all season. In the last five games, Tennessee has only allowed one goal in the round of play.
Tennessee’s contest against Arkansas will start at 7 p.m.
