Lady Vols score four, overwhelm Bears in season opener

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Lady Vols kicked off the regular season in grand fashion on Thursday, recording a 4-1 victory over Cal in Regal Stadium.

Four different Lady Vols put a goal in the net for Tennessee, with three tallying their first career goals. Freshmen Kate Runyon and Sarah Greiner and senior redshirt-senior Maria Nelson all carded their first collegiate goals while Kameron Simmonds rounded out the scoring.

In goal, redshirt-sophomore Ally Zazzara made the start and redshirt-freshman Abby Reisz took over in the second half, logging one save on the night.

Right from the kickoff, the Big Orange dominated possession. The first breakthrough came in the 19th minute when Runyon broke through the back line for the first goal of the season. Redshirt-junior Sydney Hennessey provided the precise assist, setting up Runyon’s first strike of her collegiate career.

Cal countered with a shot on the other end, but just four minutes later, in the 23rd minute, Nelson extended Tennessee’s lead to 2-0. This time it was Linette Hofmann who earned the assist, playing a ball across the middle that Nelson connected with.

The 2-0 score would hold through the half, with UT outshooting the Golden Bears 8-3.

Ten minutes into the second half, Simmonds capitalized on a penalty kick opportunity, burying the ball in the left side of net and improving the Big Orange’s advantage to 3-0.

Cal was able to put one on the board as Velize King breached Tennessee’s defense with a tricky far-post shot from near the baseline.

However, Tennessee reclaimed the three-goal lead moments later when Greiner extended on a diving shot to drive home the final score of the night. Graduate Sizzy Lawton earned her first assist as a Lady Vol on the play.

UP NEXT: Tennessee will head to Nashville to take on Lipscomb on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. ET.

IN SEASON OPENERS: With the win, Tennessee improves its record in season openers to 19-8-1 and moves the mark to 15-3-1 when opening the season at home.