Lady Vols take serious aim at national title

The Tennessee soccer team begins its season tonight with the ultimate prize as the catalyst.

Angela Kelly enters her eighth year as the coach of the No. 25 Lady Vols, and she says her team is primed to reach its ultimate goal - a national championship.

Between now and the final game of the season, however, sits one of the most challenging schedules in all of Division I women's soccer. With the home opener against No. 7 Penn State - the winners of nine-consecutive Big Ten Conference titles - the tempo will need to be full-speed from the get-go. The Lady Vols also have non-conference games with Wake Forest and Southern Cal.

"I firmly believe that you can't be the best until you beat the best," Kelly said. "That is why we have pursued a tough schedule, and it will give us our best chance at success."

Initially, the loss of four seniors and two-time All-American Ali Cristoph might seem like a deterrent on the level of success attainable by the Lady Vols. Kelly said, although young - 10 freshmen and three sophomores to 11 upperclassmen - the Lady Vols are experienced and tested.

At forward, reigning SEC Offensive Player of the Year Kylee Rossi is primed for another stellar season. Rossi has led the Lady Vols in scoring over the past two seasons and has recently been named as part of thewatchlist for the Herman Trophy, awarded annually to college soccer's top player.

"Being named to that watchlist is phenomenal," Rossi said in a phone interview.

"To be grouped with those other young ladies is just an amazing honor."

The recent accolades for the junior from Pennington, N.J., have helped build her confidence as a player.

Kelly has said Rossi is one of the most talented players in the nation, but she needs to gain more confidence in her substantial ability.

"I recruited her because she's so creative with the ball," Kelly said. "I firmly believe she's one of the best in the country, and once she understands how good she really is then the country should watch out. I'm excited about her abilities."

In the second third, the midfielder position is deep with talent as many highly touted freshmen bring their game to Knoxville.

Unfortunately for the Lady Vols, that talent is coupled with youth, as more than half of the team's underclassmen are listed to play the position.

Kelly said the coaching staff is primarily focused on organizing its defensive alignment, but when it comes to attacking with the ball, she hopes to see UT's talents shine through with creativity on the pitch.

On defense, the loss of three-year starter Jenny Jeffers, should not take too much of a toll as senior Erica Griffin looks to become an anchor on the back line.

"We will look to her to have a significant contribution," Kelly said. "She is so hard to beat because she is so incredibly fast."

At goalkeeper, UT appears to be one of the most potent rotations in the nation.

After losing starter Jaimel Johnson and highly touted Molly Baird in a single game last year due to injury, Sarah Kitchin was able give opponents a hard time finding the back of the net for much of last season. Although, all are near 100 percent going into the season,

Johnson, a newly named team captain, will get the start tonight, but Kelly says the others have to prove they can earn starting nods down the road.

Notebook: The First Tennessee Lady Vols Classic is played over two days at Regal Soccer Stadium. Minnesota plays Central Florida at 5;30 today, followed by UT and Penn State at 8. On Sunday, Central Florida plays Penn State at 10:30 a.m. and the Lady Vols take on Minnesota at 1 p.m.