After a heartbreaking loss to Alabama on Friday night, the Tennessee women’s soccer team needed a strong start against Mississippi State on Sunday.
And in the 11th minute of Sunday’s contest, the Lady Volunteers were given a golden opportunity to establish that early lead.
As Aaran Parry, a sophomore forward, was racing towards the goal when she was intentionally tripped by Mississippi State’s Kayleigh Henry. Henry was issued a red card and ejected from the contest, giving the Lady Vols an 11-on-10 advantage for the remainder of the game.
It only took Tennessee two minutes to capitalize on this advantage as sophomore forward Anna McClung took a shot in the 13th minute from 18 yards out that hit the inside of the cross bar and deflected into the goal, putting the Lady Vols up 1-0.
The advantage would continue to benefit the Lady Vols throughout the contest as UT (6-5, 1-2 SEC) rolled past the Bulldogs (3-7, 0-3) 4-0 en route to their first SEC win of the season inside Regal Soccer Stadium on Sunday.
“I thought our pressure in those first few minutes was good, and obviously it led to a game changing red card,” third-year head coach Brian Pensky said. “Everything changes when that happens. To be able to get four goals relatively early in the first half … I am very, very proud of that. I thought our possession was good, our chances were good, and we finished and scored four goals.”
The Lady Vols had a dominant first half performance against an outmatched Mississippi State team, outshooting the Bulldogs 15-0 in the first half and 31-9 for the contest.
“It is much easier to win if you are shooting because that leads to scoring,” McClung said. “This is may be the first time we reached that many shots. I think we’ve got to keep doing that to win big games.”
After McClung’s 13 minute goal – the third for her on the season – Tennessee continued to up the pressure.
In the 29th minute, midfielder Cheyenne Spade scored a goal to give the Lady Vols a 2-0 lead, thanks in large part to a nice pass from Parry.
Reserves Christine Creighton and Cali Hutson both scored their first career goals late in the first half to cap off the Lady Vols’ dominating offensive performance.
“I was pretty excited, obviously when I scored the goal at first I was just like, ‘Oh, it is another goal,'” Creighton said. “But I had talked to my brother before the game and he was like, ‘Make sure you celebrate if you score’ so I did and I am very happy that I scored.”
Pensky stated that the huge halftime lead was beneficial to both the starters and the reserves.
“It really becomes a win-win in terms of getting other players chances and then also being able to rest some kids,” Pensky said.
Tennessee failed to score again in a sloppy second half, which Pensky attributed to new players and a lack of chemistry on the field.
The Lady Vols will look to stay on the winning track when they travel to Athens, Georgia, to play the Bulldogs on Friday.
