KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee closed its regular season with a win in Knoxville on Sunday, beating Oklahoma 3-1 at Regal Stadium behind two first-half goals from Emerson Moore.
Moore did all the early damage. Her first goal came off a setup from Milee Zych, and her second sent the Lady Vols to the locker room with a 2-0 lead. It was a needed result for coach Joe Kirt’s team, which had gone without a victory since Sept. 11. That drought followed an unbeaten opening stretch in which Tennessee won six of its first nine matches and played to draws in the other three.
The second half opened up for both sides. Oklahoma, one of the more complete teams in the league, pushed back after the break. Sophie Morrin found the net off a Paige Califf assist to cut the margin to one. It was the third goal of the season for Morrin and her second in SEC matches, and the assist gave Califf a team-high six for the Sooners.
Tennessee answered with about 22 minutes left. Cora Fry finished a ball from Ines Derrien to restore the two-goal cushion, and the Lady Vols held on the rest of the way. Oklahoma kept the pressure on in the attacking third and earned 12 corner kicks, its most in any match this season, but could not get another one past the Tennessee back line.
The win gives the Lady Vols something to build on, though their postseason outlook is thin. Tennessee had already been knocked out of contention for the SEC tournament, and an at-large spot in the national tournament field appears unlikely, so Sunday may have been the final match of the year.
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