Women's soccer loses SEC semifinal to #1 seeded Tennessee, 1-0

Women’s soccer loses SEC semifinal to #1 seeded Tennessee, 1-0

11/5/2004

For the second time this season, the Commodores were blanked by the Tennessee Volunteers, 1-0. In a very offensive-heavy battle to get into the SEC finals, the Volunteers came up victorious in the end. This is Vanderbilt’s first loss since October 15th when they lost to Tennessee, 2-0.

“I am very proud of our team,” said Head Coach Ronnie Coveleskie Hill. “They did a fantastic job tonight. I wish Tennessee luck on Sunday, because they played a heck of a game. Our team did a great job individually and collectively.”

The Commodores are disappointed to be headed home after losing to state-foe Tennessee. The team turned in six shots compared to Tennessee’s 13. The Lady Vols goal was scored by freshman forward Emily Redburg who also had three shots for the game. First team All-SEC choice Tyler Griffin had a strong day for the Commodores with two saves on Tenn.’s 13 shots.

“We got a lot of good looks and had a lot of fair chances,” said Hill. “We played very well between the 18s. Tennessee made a fantastic goal. We missed our chance, and they converted and we didn’t. That was the difference in the game. It was a really good game to watch.”

The Commodores finish their season 7-7-5 while Tennessee will continue on to face Florida in the finals of the SEC tournament. Tennessee is currently 15-3-2 overall and an impressive 11-1-0 in the SEC only losing to Auburn in late October. “Our team turned around this season after losing our first five games,” said junior midfielder Lauren Mitchell. “We are a young team and really excited about next year. We are putting it together and working hard and we have a good chance next season.”

Said Tennessee Head Coach Angela Kelly on Vanderbilt’s play tonight, “Vanderbilt came out very organized and they gave us fits all night long. We did a good job of continuing to compete and we finished well. We just need to get our legs back under us for the game on Sunday.”

The Commodores still have a chance to get a bid to the NCAA tournament. They are one of only five teams in the SEC with records of .500 or better. The official announcement from the NCAA will come early next week. Check vucommodores.com for up to date information.