The Tennessee women’s soccer team will travel to Charlottesville, Virginia, this weekend with the opportunity of defeating a top-2 team for the first time in Lady Vol history.

Tennessee’s history against top-2 teams in women’s soccer has been one of futility, as the Lady Vols have posted a 0-14-1 record against teams with such a ranking.

The Lady Vols, however, can end this losing streak Friday night when they face the No. 2 Virginia Cavaliers at Klockner Stadium.

Tennessee head women’s soccer coach Brian Pensky offered several keys in how his team can pull off the upset.

“The first thing is confidence and belief in us, stepping on the field and in our hearts and guts feel like ‘OK, we can do this,'” Pensky said. “Secondly, I think the first 15-20 minutes of the game are going to be key in terms of us either continuing to build that belief or sustain that belief and sustain their pressure.”

The undefeated, 5-0, Virginia Cavaliers have dominated their opponents so far this season, outscoring teams 18-1. The Cavaliers rank 11th nationally in average goals per game, 3.6, and have recorded four shutouts and have only allowed one goal.

Virginia has an impressive arsenal of great players such as first team All-Americans Morgan Brian and Makenzy Doniak. Brian was named player of the year in multiple soccer publications last season, and Doniak tied Virginia’s single-season goal record with 20.

Virginia also has many other dangerous players, including junior Brittany Ratcliffe, who leads the team with four goals, and sophomore Alexis Shaffer, who has added three goals this season. In other words, Virginia will have talent across the field on Friday when they play Tennessee.

“I think we definitely have to respect their whole team,” Tennessee senior defender Allie Sirna said. “They are ranked No. 2, and they are there for a reason.”

In order to shut down Virginia’s great players, coach Pensky stressed the team will need to play well together as a unit.

“It’s got to be a collective effort,” Pensky said. “Gabby Santorio can’t alone shut down Doniak. Carlyn Baldwin alone can’t shut down Morgan Brian. We are going to need great individual defending, but (we also need) covering and not allowing great services and Jaime making some good plays.”

Even though Virginia has a dangerous offensive attack, Sirna discussed the importance of Tennessee developing its own offensive attack.

“I think that the most important thing for us going into this game is actually not just being defensive,” Sirna said, “we have to make sure we impose our own offensive strategy as well.”

Sirna also emphasized that the Lady Vols will have to do a good job of keeping possession if they want to win, noting that giving the ball away will help Virginia have more opportunities to score.

A win against Virginia would not only be a signature win for the season, but also the biggest regular season win in Tennessee women’s soccer history.

Senior Forward Hannah Wilkinson is excited and confident about her team’s opportunity to get a huge win.

“We are going out there with a winning mentality of course like any game,” Wilkinson said. “We are just going to give our all, and I think a win will be fantastic for us.”

The Lady Vols contest against Virginia starts at 5:30 p.m. UT also has a match versus the Richmond Spiders on Sunday at noon.