Tennessee soccer upsets Xavier in NCAA Tournament first round behind Ally Zazzara’s 15 saves

Xavier sent wave after wave of attacks in the first 15 minutes after halftime Saturday.

The first half of the NCAA Tournament first round game was a back and forth affair, and No. 4 seed Xavier and Tennessee soccer were in a scoreless stalemate at halftime. The Lady Vols started the second half on the attack and controlled possession, but then the Musketeers took control and got eight straight shots off, three of them on goal.

Sophomore goalkeeper Ally Zazzara was there every time. Whether she had to leap to snatch a flighted ball, slide her foot for a kick save or stretch as far as possible to get a hand on a near-header goal, Zazzara was a brick wall against Xavier’s attack.

Zazzara – who tied the program record of 15 saves – is the reason Tennessee was in position to win the game in double overtime with a goal from graduate midfielder Sizzy Lawton. The Lady Vols’ 1-0 upset of No. 4 seed Xavier (14-4-4) was both a bit of déjà vu and redemption.

Tennessee (9-6-4) got upset 4-1 by Xavier in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last season in double overtime. This year, the Lady Vols were the ones to come out of double overtime victorious.

Tennessee will face No. 5 seed Nebraska in the second round. UCLA, the No. 1 seed in UT’s bracket, was already upset Friday night 1-0 by UC Irvine.

The win was more meaningful for Tennessee at the end of a difficult season that saw several key players suffer season-ending injuries, including veteran starters Tara Katz, Claudia Dipasupil and Jaida Thomas.

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Tennessee didn’t back down from Xavier, which is ranked No. 17 in the country. The Lady Vols started off the game aggressive, creating chances early. Sophomore forward Kameron Simmonds broke through the Xavier backline and recorded Tennessee’s only other shot on goal of the game from distance, creating a rebound opportunity Tennessee nearly scored on. Xavier outshot the Lady Vols 14-4 in the first half, but UT’s chances were much more dangerous.

Tennessee put together an incredible defensive effort in the second half. The Musketeers threw everything they had at the Lady Vols, logging a whopping 41 shots, 15 of them on goal. But UT’s defense made every play it needed to, and it was able to capitalize on the chance it needed. The Lady Vols ended with 11 shots total, two on goal.

Cora Hall covers University of Tennessee women’s athletics. Email her at cora.hall@knoxnews.com and follow her on Twitter @corahalll. If you enjoy Cora’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that allows you to access all of it.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee soccer upsets Xavier in double overtime in NCAA first round