Chloe Arnold.
photo by Dale Rutemeyer
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga secured its first-ever third place finish in the Southern Conference standings with a 2-0 win at VMI in women’s soccer action Saturday in Lexington, Va.
Emily Szymanski put the Mocs on the board first with a header in the 19th minute. Chloe Arnold added another goal in the second half to secure the shutout victory.
In the 19th minute, Mackenzie Smith crossed the ball into the box. Szymanski made good movement into the box and finished it off with a header for her second goal of the season.
Chattanooga’s second goal came from the Mocs’ leading scorer in the 62nd minute.
Junior Samantha Shaw won the ball and drove forward, delivering it to Arnold who then turned and finished from inside the box.
Arnold has a team-high four goals on the season along with one assist for nine points.
The Keydets outshot Chattanooga 19-10 and edged UTC 9-8 on shots on goal. Mocs’ keeper Abbey Saddler recorded a personal best nine saves while VMI’s Sidney Swoope recorded six.
Osa Iyare, Szymanski and Smith had two shots each for the Mocs. VMI (1-8-2, 0-8-1) had two with a game-high four shots, two on goal and one with all three shots on goal
“Great team win,” Mocs head coach Gavin McKinney said. “It’s always tough to play at VMI. We are proud of the team not only for their effort today but for what they have given throughout the season. We are excited for our semifinal match next weekend.”
The Mocs, 7-2-1 overall, finish third in the Southern Conference standings, its best finish in program history with a league mark of 6-2-1. Only the top four teams will advance to the SoCon Tournament next weekend. The Mocs’ opponent will be determined following the outcome of the Samford/UNCG match.