KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Despite a 17-8 advantage in shots, Tennessee soccer suffered its fourth consecutive defeat on Thursday night, falling 1-0 to Arkansas at Regal Soccer Stadium.
The Lady Vols (6-4-3, 1-4-2) conceded a 13th minute goal and were unable to find an equalizer despite spending much of the rest of the match on the front foot. The loss marks the first time Tennessee has suffered four consecutive defeats since the 2010 season.
“Really disappointed for our group tonight, they left it out on the field,” head coach Joe Kirt said after the match. “I thought we had a really dominating performance, we just gave away a goal early on. No one’s going to give us anything, you must score goals if you want to win games, and we didn’t do that tonight. We’ve got players that can make plays and they’re capable of doing it. It was a great environment here at Regal, we’re excited to get back at it Sunday.”
The Razorbacks’ lone goal of the match came at the end of a counterattack, as Kyndal Ewertz found the top-left corner despite catching the fingertips of goalkeeper Cayden Norris, who closed the contest with three saves.
An offensive performance resulting in 17 shots from Tennessee featured five different players with multiple shot attempts, led by freshman forward Ayva Jordan with four. On the chase in the second half, the Lady Vols out shot Arkansas 11-3, but were unable to beat Razorback goalkeeper Keegan Smith, who closed the match with five saves.
Tennessee will look to snap a six-match winless streak on Sunday, Oct. 18, against Kentucky at Regal Soccer Stadium.
“We have to get points; there are some wins we have to get,” Kirt said. “We have a group that is certainly capable of doing it. We believe in them to do it, they have shown they can do it, but it is hard right now. It is emotionally hard, but they are competing, they are playing, they are fighting and they are doing a lot of things really well.”
Kickoff with the Wildcats is set for 2 p.m. ET on Sunday afternoon.
