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No. 8 Tennessee Opens SEC Play With Statement Road Win Over LSU

No. 8 Tennessee opens SEC play with a 3-1 road win at LSU, scoring twice in the second half to improve to 6-0-1 and set up a road test at Texas.
Josh Greer|
Tennessee's Nyla Blue (33) advances the ball while defended by Northwestern's Ava Goodin (34) during an NCAA college soccer match on Sept. 6, 2026, in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Tennessee's Nyla Blue (33) advances the ball while defended by Northwestern's Ava Goodin (34) during an NCAA college soccer match on Sept. 6, 2026, in Knoxville, Tennessee. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

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Tennessee Volunteers

No. 8 Tennessee defeated LSU 3-1 Friday night at LSU Soccer Stadium, using two second-half goals to break a halftime tie and improve to 6-0-1 overall and 1-0 in SEC play. The victory was Tennessee's first road win of the season after its previous road match ended in a 1-1 draw at No. 12 Virginia.

Tennessee Strikes First Again

Scoring first has become a familiar theme for Tennessee, and that continued against LSU.

Shae O'Rourke put the Lady Vols ahead just 10:46 into the match, finishing an assist from Ines Derrien for her second goal of the season. O'Rourke's production is particularly encouraging after an ACL injury ended her 2025 season.

LSU refused to let Tennessee carry the advantage into halftime. Senai Rogers scored in the 39th minute off an assist from Linka Ono, sending the teams into the break tied 1-1. It marked the first time this season Tennessee had not led at halftime.

Lady Vols Take Control

Whatever Tennessee needed to adjust at halftime worked.

The Lady Vols immediately increased the pressure, and Taylor Cheatham delivered the go-ahead goal at 54:53. Dakota Brown sent a corner toward the back post, where Cheatham headed it home for her third goal of 2026, tying Kylee Simmons for the team lead.

Derrien then turned an already productive night into a decisive one.

After assisting O'Rourke's opening goal, Derrien drew a penalty and converted the ensuing kick at 71:51 for her first goal of the season. Her goal gave Tennessee a 3-1 cushion that LSU never seriously threatened.

An SEC Statement

For a program with postseason ambitions, opening SEC play with three points on the road matters.

It also represents a reversal from last season, when Tennessee's first loss came in its SEC opener at Mississippi State. This time, the Lady Vols handled the challenge and remained unbeaten.

Tennessee now gets nearly a week to prepare for another significant road test. The Lady Vols travel to Austin on Sept. 18 to face No. 19 Texas.

At 6-0-1, Tennessee's start is no longer simply impressive.

The Lady Vols have officially carried it into SEC play.

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Josh Greer
JOSH GREER

Josh Greer is a sports journalist and educator from Paris, Tennessee, whose passion for sports has shaped a career spanning coaching, higher education, and sports media. Before entering journalism, Greer spent time as a Tennessee high school football coach and was part of two state championship-winning teams. His passion for sports eventually led him to higher education, where he spent more than a decade teaching sport management and providing students with hands-on experiences at major sporting events, including national championships, Super Bowls, and NFL Drafts. Greer brings a unique combination of coaching, teaching, and sports industry experience to his journalism. He takes pride in covering the stories, people, and trends shaping sports, with a particular interest in collegiate athletics.

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