After a 4-0 start to the season, No. 10 Tennessee soccer will be on the road Thursday. They will visit the No. 12 Virginia Cavaliers. Tennessee is coming off a break, last facing Western Carolina on August 23, where they won 4-0.
The Lady Vols will face their biggest test yet, entering on a three-game shutout streak. Junior goalkeeper Cayden Norris has allowed just one goal on the year. In addition, she carries a .750 save percentage this season and 18 career shutouts.
Tennessee is led by fifth-year forward Kylee Simmons, who tops the team with three goals, eight points and seven shots on goal. Simmons got the year going with two goals against Rutgers. Then she set up scores in the South Alabama and Milwaukee wins. The scoring has not run through her alone, though. Ten different Lady Vols have found the back of the net through four matches. Furthermore, six of them notched the first goal of their college careers.
Virginia will not make it a soft first road trip. The Cavaliers are 4-0-0 as well, having outscored opponents 14-2 and climbed to No. 4 in the TopDrawerSoccer Top 25. Addison Halpern has been the engine, leading the team with four goals and 10 points on 14 shots. Meanwhile, Allie Ross and Jordyn Hardeman have three assists apiece.
Keeper Victoria Safradin has been every bit Norris’ equal, going 4-0-0 with a 0.57 goals-against average. One number worth watching is that Virginia has put 10 of its 14 goals on the board in the first half. Therefore, the Cavaliers like to come out fast.
Kickoff from Klöckner Stadium is set for 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, with the match streaming on ACC Network Extra. Geoff Arnold and Paddy Foss will be on the call.
