Lady Vols Upset Auburn In SEC

Sixth-ranked Tennessee pulled the upset of the opening round of the Southeastern Conference tournament at Orange Beach, AL, with a 2-1 win over #3 Auburn.

The win advances the Lady Vols to a semifinal meeting with LSU, a 2-1 win over Ole Miss.

Tennessee took a 2-0 lead on goals by Tanya Emerson and Mick Imgram. Auburn pulled one goal back on a penalty kick by Jenn Johnson at the 61:35 mark, but could not score the equalizer.

LSU got the game-winner from Brittany Lowe at the 66:22 minute mark, heading in the game-winner that started with a throw-in. Kellie Murphy had given LSU a 1-0 lead early in the second half, but Christine Breaux tied the game two minutes later.

Top-seeded Florida rallied for two second half goals to give the Gators a 2-1 win over Alabama, which had taken a 1-0 halftime lead on a goal by Kailey Corken. Megan Kerns tied the game midway through the second half and Ashlee Elliott got the game-winner with less than two minutes left in the game.

The Gators will play Georgia in the other semifinal game. The Bulldogs put up two first-half goals and made them standup for a 2-1 win over South Carolina. Alex Hooker and Megan Tomlinson scored for Georgia, while Blakely Mattern got USC’s only goal in the 81st minute of play.

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Lincoln Memorial Drops D-2 Title Game

Less than two minutes to go! That little more than a television commercial break.

That is what was left in regulation in the NCAA Division II men’s national championship game when Franklin Pierce’s David Clifton, the #2 goalscorer in the nation, slipped a shot over the head of Lincoln Memorial goalkeeper Brent Cole for a 1-0 win with a minute and 45 seconds to go.

Ironically, it was with 1:46 to go in the second overtime in the semifinals, when Lincoln Memorial scored to beat Montevallo University.

The final was an epic battle between two programs that had never before won a national championship.

Though disappointed, Lincoln Memorial’s head coach Helio De’Anna was philosophical in defeat.

“I told our guys, that our sport is so unforgiving,” said D’Anna. “Franklin Pierce is a great team, but we did what it took to win the game, and we out-shot them.

“Anyway, that is part of why we love this game. We played our possession game, and sometimes that wears the other team out. In fact, many times we are out-shot because of our style, and we win. Our guys did what it took, and I’m proud of them.”

The “style” of which D’Anna, a native of Brazil, spoke is not unlike the style played in Brazil. Nine of his players are from his native country, including senior midfielder Nelson Pizarro, sophomore defender Felipe Nogueira and sophomore Leandro Pereira. All were named Daktronics NCAA Division II All-America.

Pereira was named National Division II Player of the Year. He led the Railsplitters with 23 goals and 55 points. Pizarro scored 15 goals and Nogueira added 11.

Cole, one of three Tennessee natives on the LMU team, is a senior from Knoxville. He played in 24 games with 22 starts, posting a 0.92 goals against average with 84 saves.

The victory that launched the Railsplitters into the title match was the result of Guilherme Alves, another Brazilian, ending a long game by finishing a shot as the sun was setting behind the goal.

“It’s the story of our season,” said Coach D’Anna after that win. “It was a close, hard, dog fight. Our system works. It might not be the best for some, but for our players it works.”

His words were prophetic, as it turned out with another close, hard, dog fight in the final.

Lincoln Memorial finished the season 20-4-1. All five of the Railsplitters’

Tennessee Well Represented

Tennessee intercollegiate soccer was well represented in the NCAA D-II tournament. Tusculum and Carson-Newman squared off in the men’s first round with C-N winning 3-1. LMU beat Carson Newman 2-1 in the second round of play.

In the NCAA Division II women’s national tournament Tusculum reached the third round, where the Pioneers lost to Columbus State 2-0. They had a bye in the first round and downed Lincoln Memorial 3-1 in the second. LMU had defeated Armstrong State 2-1 in the first round.

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ETSU Picks Calabrese To Coach Men’s Team

Scott Calabrese, former assistant coach at Clemson University, has been named the first men’s head soccer coach at East Tennessee State University.

For it’s first season, the ETSU men will have no scholarships, but in 2008 it will become a scholarship program and will compete in the Atlantic Sun Conference. East Tennessee has had a women’s team since 1997.

“It is truly an honor to be named the first head men’s soccer coach in the history of ETSU,” Calabrese said. “The vision of the university,
the athletic department and the community shows a deep commitment to the future of ETSU and the region. I am excited to be a part of this growth and look forward to building a team that brings a sense of pride and tradition to ETSU, as well as the local soccer community.”

East Tennessee becomes only the second Division I men’s soccer program in Tennessee. The University of Memphis is the other.

“It is my goal to build the men’s soccer program at ETSU into a
dominant force in the Atlantic Sun Conference and to compete with the
best teams in the South Region. I am excited and honored for the
opportunity and can’t wait to get to work.”

ETSU has an recently completed soccer facility. Construction was finalized for on-campus competition and practice fields in October.

A 1994 graduate of Bryant College, Calabrese has spent the past four seasons helping guide the Clemson Tigers to the top of the national rankings, including a trip to the NCAA Final Four in 2005 and a No. 1 national ranking midway through the season.

He also is a former assistant coach at UNC Chapel Hill where he helped lead the Tar Heels to the NCAA national championship, and he served an assistant coach with the WUSA Carolina Courage professional team.

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Condone Replaces Sanchez As Tennessee DOC

Manny Sanchez has resigned as Executive Director and Director of Coaching for the Tennessee State Soccer Association to become the Director of Coaching for the Wings Soccer Club in Minnesota.

Tennessee Soccer has promoted Tom Condone to the position of State Director of Coaching from his assistant DOC position. He previously was the women’s head soccer coach at Tennessee Wesleyan College.

Sanchez, who has 18 years of coaching experience, was the 2002 Tennessee State Soccer Boys Coach of the Year, and the 2004 NSCAA Southeastern Regional Boys Coach of the Year.

He was the coach of three Tennessee State championship teams, and a member of the Region III coaching staff.

Sanchez begins working with the wings on January 2.

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