University of Tennessee Athletics
Thursday, September 24
Knoxville, Tenn.
8:00 p.m. ET
University of Tennessee
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Mississippi State
PREVIEW: #9 Lady Vols Host Mississippi State for SEC Home Opener
September 23, 2026 | Soccer
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – After securing four of a possible six points on the road to open Southeastern Conference play, the No. 9 Tennessee soccer team begins a two-match home stand on Thursday night against Mississippi State. Kickoff for the SEC home opener at Regal Soccer Stadium is set for 8:00 p.m. ET.
The match will air live on ESPNU with Mike Watts (PxP) and Jill Loyden (Analyst) on the call.
Admission is free for all regular-season Tennessee soccer matches. For fans planning to attend, note that Tennessee's clear bag policy is in effect again this season. Regal Soccer Stadium is a cashless venue for both concessions and the VolShop this season.
Thursday night's match will be the first Dark Mode game for Tennessee soccer in the adidas era, with the team set to debut all black uniforms. Additionally, it will be the team's Salute to Service game, presented by Standard Nuclear. An on-field celebration of the Veterans Success Center will take place at halftime.
The Lady Vols (6-0-2, 1-0-1) improved their unbeaten start to eight matches in last Friday's clash at Texas, coming from behind to secure a 2-2 draw against the Longhorns. In the team's SEC opener on Sept. 11, Tennessee claimed a 3-1 victory at LSU, giving the team two positive results away from home to begin the conference campaign.
Home Sweet Home: Thursday's match comes on the heels of two consecutive road contests to open SEC play for Tennessee. In the team's first time playing consecutive road matches in 2026, the team fared well, claiming four of a possible six points to begin the conference campaign.
Regal Soccer Stadium has been a fortress for Tennessee in 2026 with the team boasting a perfect 5-0-0 home record. The Lady Vols' have outscored opponents 15-1 on home turf, earning four clean sheets in five matches. In the team's most recent home contest on Sept. 6, Tennessee earned a gritty 1-0 win over Northwestern.
The Lady Vols went unbeaten at Regal Soccer Stadium in the 2025 regular season, posting a 7-0-1 overall record and a 4-0-1 mark in conference play.
Continuing the Trend: Fast starts on the offensive end have been a constant for Tennessee in 2026. That trend continued in the team's last match against Texas as the Lady Vols found the opening goal in the 11th minute.
Tennessee has scored in the opening 30 minutes of all eight matches in 2026 and struck within the opening 12 minutes in seven of eight contests. Additionally, the Lady Vols have been the first team to score in every match this season.
While one trend continued, another trend was broken against Texas. Two first half goals in quick succession saw the Longhorns take a 2-1 lead, marking the first time Tennessee trailed in 2026. The halftime lead for Texas also marked the first time Tennessee did
The match will air live on ESPNU with Mike Watts (PxP) and Jill Loyden (Analyst) on the call.
Admission is free for all regular-season Tennessee soccer matches. For fans planning to attend, note that Tennessee's clear bag policy is in effect again this season. Regal Soccer Stadium is a cashless venue for both concessions and the VolShop this season.
Thursday night's match will be the first Dark Mode game for Tennessee soccer in the adidas era, with the team set to debut all black uniforms. Additionally, it will be the team's Salute to Service game, presented by Standard Nuclear. An on-field celebration of the Veterans Success Center will take place at halftime.
The Lady Vols (6-0-2, 1-0-1) improved their unbeaten start to eight matches in last Friday's clash at Texas, coming from behind to secure a 2-2 draw against the Longhorns. In the team's SEC opener on Sept. 11, Tennessee claimed a 3-1 victory at LSU, giving the team two positive results away from home to begin the conference campaign.
Home Sweet Home: Thursday's match comes on the heels of two consecutive road contests to open SEC play for Tennessee. In the team's first time playing consecutive road matches in 2026, the team fared well, claiming four of a possible six points to begin the conference campaign.
Regal Soccer Stadium has been a fortress for Tennessee in 2026 with the team boasting a perfect 5-0-0 home record. The Lady Vols' have outscored opponents 15-1 on home turf, earning four clean sheets in five matches. In the team's most recent home contest on Sept. 6, Tennessee earned a gritty 1-0 win over Northwestern.
The Lady Vols went unbeaten at Regal Soccer Stadium in the 2025 regular season, posting a 7-0-1 overall record and a 4-0-1 mark in conference play.
Continuing the Trend: Fast starts on the offensive end have been a constant for Tennessee in 2026. That trend continued in the team's last match against Texas as the Lady Vols found the opening goal in the 11th minute.
Tennessee has scored in the opening 30 minutes of all eight matches in 2026 and struck within the opening 12 minutes in seven of eight contests. Additionally, the Lady Vols have been the first team to score in every match this season.
While one trend continued, another trend was broken against Texas. Two first half goals in quick succession saw the Longhorns take a 2-1 lead, marking the first time Tennessee trailed in 2026. The halftime lead for Texas also marked the first time Tennessee did
not lead at the intermission this season. Still, a second-half goal saw the Lady Vols fight back for a draw to remain unbeaten.
Super Shae: The comeback season reached a new peak for fifth-year forward Shae O'Rourke at Texas. She played a pivotal role in Tennessee securing a result in the match, scoring the opening goal and assisting the game-tying goal.
After an ACL tear cost O'Rourke much of the 2025 season, she is returning to form right as the Lady Vols get in the thick of SEC play. O'Rourke has found the back of the net in each of the last two matches for Tennessee, scoring the opening goal of each match.
Her season total of three goals is tied for the second most on the team, while her three assists are the joint-highest on the squad. O'Rourke averages a goal contribution every 54 minutes this season, the best among players who have appeared in at least three matches.
Leading Scorer Simmons: A powerful second-half header by Kylee Simmons secured Tennessee's second goal of the match at Texas, helping the Lady Vols come from behind to earn a 2-2 draw.
The goal brought Simmons' season tally to four goals, the most on the team. Additionally, her updated tally of ten points this season also leads Tennessee.
One of two team captains, Simmons has been a source of quality and strength for the Lady Vols in her debut season on the pitch. The fifth-year forward also spent the 2025 season with Tennessee, after transferring from Missouri, but was sidelined by a preseason ACL injury for the duration of the campaign.
Top-10 Lady Vols: Despite settling for a draw at Texas, Tennessee remains in the top 10 of this week's IWSOC coaches' poll and TopDrawerSoccer.com's weekly national rankings, checking in at No. 9 and No. 6, respectively.
Tennessee's inclusion marks the fifth consecutive week the Lady Vols have been within the top 10. It matches the second-most weeks spent in the top 10 of the IWSOC/United Soccer Coaches poll in one season in program history. Tennessee set a new program record in 2025, spending nine consecutive weeks ranked within the top 10.
Revenge on the Mind: After an unbeaten nonconference slate to open the 2025 season, Mississippi State handed Tennessee its first loss of the season to open SEC play. Ranked No. 1 in the nation at the time, the Lady Vols fell 3-2 on the road to the Bulldogs.
Tennessee once again enters the matchup with an unbeaten record in 2026, however, this year's match will take place at home.
A Look at the Bulldogs: Mississippi State has had a strong start to the 2026 season under first-year head coach Kevin O'Brien, boasting a 7-1-1 overall record. The Bulldogs have had a similar start to SEC play as the Lady Vols, earning four points from a possible six.
A 4-1 win over rival Ole Miss kicked off SEC play for Mississippi State on Sept. 11, before being held to a 2-2 draw at home against Florida in the team's last match on Sept. 18. The Bulldogs' lone defeat thus far came in the nonconference finale, a 3-0 home loss to Charlotte.
Mississippi State has an array of attacking options, with three players having tallies of at least ten points in 2026. Senior forward Hailey Johnson leads the way with five goals and three assists, while sophomore midfielder Laila Murillo is the joint-leading goalscorer with five goals of her own.
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Players Mentioned
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