Lady Vols win SEC East
Tennessee ended its regular season on a winning note Thursday night.
No. 12 Tennessee defeated Kentucky, 2-0, before an announced crowd of 620 at Regal Soccer Stadium.
The victory clinched a second consecutive SEC East division championship for Tennessee (15-2-0, 8-2-0 SEC) and marked back-to-back titles for the first time since claiming four straight between 2002-05.
UT will also be the second seed in the upcoming SEC Tournament, which opens Oct. 31 in Orange Beach, Alabama.
As the No. 2 seed, Tennessee will have a first-round bye.
Tennessee will play the winner between Florida-Vanderbilt in the quarterfinals. The Commodores, a No. 7 seed, eliminated Tennessee in last year’s tournament.
The Lady Vols also lost to Vanderbilt in 2021. UT’s other loss this season came against top-seeded and West division champion Arkansas in the SEC opener for both schools.
In Thursday night’s match against the Wildcats (7-10-2, 1-9-0 SEC) Tennessee took an early lead as Mackenzie George scored an unassisted goal in the eighth minute.
Jaida Thomas extended Tennessee’s advantage to 2-0 in the 31st minute with her eighth marker of the season. Taylor Huff was credited with an assist on Thomas’ goal.
The Lady Vols outshot Kentucky, 13-11, with eight landing on goal. Kentucky totaled seven shots on frame.
UT goalkeeper Ashley Gabor made her first start and recorded a clean sheet.
The Lady Vols’ 15 wins are the most ever in a regular season.
