No. 3 seed Tennessee soccer has been knocked out of the 2022 SEC tournament after falling to No. 6 Georgia 2-0 in the first big upset of this year’s tournament.
The reigning SEC tournament champions were the pre-season favorites to repeat their triumph from last year, but the loss now means that it will be the seventh consecutive year there will be a new champion. Florida was the last team to complete the back-to-back feat in 2015 and 2016.
The Lady Vols came firing out of the gates applying the early pressure but were left with nothing to show for it. Lawson Renie came the closest for the Lady Vols after her shot was saved from close range off the corner.
Georgia had its first big chance of the game when they broke quickly off a Tennessee corner with the Lady Vols leaving only one defender back, setting up a two versus one for the Bulldogs. The defense was able to get back in numbers as Georgia sent its shot over the crossbar.
The Bulldogs did not pass up the second opportunity when it arrived in the form of Dani Murguia’s peach of a goal. Renie, who was key in Tennessee’s SEC East title-winning game against Vanderbilt, was at fault when she miscontrolled a long ball clearance by Georgia’s defense. Murguia picked up the loose ball and took on both Tara Katz and Renie from 20 yards out. She curled it around Katz and found the back of the net, giving the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead in the 20th minute
Tennessee searched for a response and almost got one when Jenna Stayart’s shot got pushed up onto the crossbar by freshman goalkeeper Jordan Brown, who played a key role in sending Georgia to the semifinals.
Georgia doubled its advantage in the 34th minute when it once again caught the Lady Vols’ defense on the break.
Jordan Fusco and Claire Rain were both caught out of position when Georgia switched the ball over to Murguia on the right-hand side. Fusco recovered and blocked the initial cross and Lindsey Romig got a fingertip save on the second attempt. However, it wasn’t enough as Tori Penn came in from the back post and finished off the move to give the Bulldogs a 2-0 halftime lead.
It was a disappointing end to the day for Romig who didn’t come out for the second half and had to be replaced by Ally Zazzara. The Redshirt-Freshman stopped Georgia from scoring a third just four minutes into the second.
Taylor Huff was the main source of attack for the Lady Vols throughout the second half as the side desperately searched for a lifeline back into the game. Huff’s best chance came with just 25 minutes left when she drove out of the midfield, beating the defenders in her path and working her way into a one-on-one situation with Brown. Huff should have scored but her shot went straight into the hands of Brown, who didn’t have any trouble collecting the shot.
With the clock continuing to run, Tennessee pushed further for those two elusive goals but the Bulldogs sat back and defended their lines. They held the Lady Vols scoreless for only the second time this season, giving the Bulldogs their first win over Tennessee in the SEC Tournament and booking them a spot in the semi-finals for the first time since 2010.
The Lady Vols now await the results of Monday’s NCAA Selection Show.
