MATCH CENTRAL: Tennessee vs. #1/2 Mississippi State
Courtesy / UT Athletics

MATCH CENTRAL: Tennessee vs. #1/2 Mississippi State

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SoccerNovember 04, 2024

PENSACOLA, Fla. – Tennessee soccer is set to face off against No. 1/2 Mississippi State in the second round of the SEC Tournament on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. ET. 

Tuesday’s meeting will mark the first time in both programs’ histories that they will compete against each other in the SEC Tournament. 

In the first round of the conference tournament, ninth-seeded UT (9-5-4) topped No. 8 seed Kentucky 1-0 to advance to the second round. 

Graduate forward Sammi Woods secured the win for the Lady Vols after a 15th minute goal.  The Saline, Michigan, native volleyed the ball perfectly over the keeper to get the scoreboard working early. 

The Bulldogs (16-1-0, 10-0-0) are coming off a regular season in which they lost just one match and went undefeated in conference play, claiming the regular season SEC title. 

SAMMI IN THE ORANGE:  Graduate transfer Sammi Woods has made in impact in her sole season on Rocky Top so far. The Saline, Michigan, native currently leads the team in goals (5), shots on goal (16) and points (12). Her most recent goal came in round one of the SEC Tournament where she perfectly lofted the ball into the back of the net to propel UT to a 1-0 victory over Kentucky. 

TOURNAMENT TIME: The Lady Vols are 19-17-6 all-time in SEC Tournament games and have claimed five SEC Tournament titles, winning the event in 2002, 2003, 2005, 2008 and 2021. Following the win over Kentucky, UT has now registered 13 shutouts in its SEC Tournament history.

SAMMI IN THE ORANGE:  Graduate transfer Sammi Woods has made in impact in her sole season on Rocky Top so far. The Saline, Michigan, native currently leads the team in goals (5), shots on goal (16) and points (12). Her most recent goal came in round one of the SEC Tournament where she perfectly lofted the ball into the back of the net to propel UT to a 1-0 victory over Kentucky. 

ALLY BROWN HOLDIN’ IT DOWNAlly Brown, who leads the team in minutes played (1,609) has anchored the backline to their eighth shutout of the season. 

ALL-SEC SELECTIONS: A trio of Lady Vols earned All-SEC honors, the league office announced Sunday. Juniors Ally Brown and Mac Midgley were named Third Team All-SEC selections as Reese Mattern was slated to the SEC All-Freshman Team.

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS: No. 1/2 Mississippi State is coming off a regular season in which it posted a 16-1-0 overall record, including a 10-0 record in SEC play, claiming the regular-season conference title. The Bulldogs currently hold the best goals against average in the country with a .235 mark. Maddy Anderson has started in goal each game for State, registering 39 saves and 14 clean sheets. Offensively, Ally Perry leads their squad with nine goals and 21 shots as Hannah Johnson has dished out a team-high six assists. 

MATCHUP HISTORY: Tennessee is 17-2-3 all-time against Mississippi State and currently holds a 10-match unbeaten streak against the conference foe. The programs met last season when UT picked up a point on the road after a 3-3 draw.