Tennessee notched another win Thursday night by unleashing four goals, three of which came in the second half, in front of a record crowd of 5,489 at Regal Soccer Stadium.

“Shout out to our fans for packing the house at Regal,” head coach Joe Kirt said. “It was an incredible environment from them. Hopefully we can do it again on Sunday night. It’s awesome to play in that environment for all our players.”

The crowd surpassed the previous record of 4,040 set against Georgia Southern in 2025.

The 4-0 win over Milwaukee, a perennial NCAA tourney team, boosted No. 16 Tennessee’s record to 3-0. Milwaukee has won the regular season and/or conference tournament title in the Horizon League every season since 2001 except for 2014. The Panthers will stay on the road to play at No. 25 Georgia.

Freshmen Taylor Cheatham, Kameran Bluette and Jayla Blue and sophomore Marlee Raymond all scored for Tennessee against Milwaukee with Cheatham’s goal coming less than 11 minutes into the first half, Bluette’s finding the back of the net in the first minute of the second half, Blue’s at the 67th minute of the 90-minute match and Raymond’s at the 72nd minute.

“We all celebrate each other no matter what,” Cheatham said. “We’re a very competitive group, and we compete with each other day in and day out. We’re all so happy for each other, and we just want the best for each other. It’s a great, tightknit family group.”

The first eight goals scored in 2026 have been first-timers as a Tennessee player with the four against Milwaukee by Cheatham, Bluette, Blue and Raymond and, in the first two games this season against Rutgers and South Alabama, by fifth-year transfer Kylee Simmons, sophomore transfer Kai Tsakaris, freshman Ayva Jordan and junior Devin Davis, a defender who rarely gets a shot at goal.

Tennessee used a total of 24 players in Thursday’s match, and Kirt went to the bench early in the first half after a somewhat stuttering start outside of Cheatham’s goal.

“We talk about our standard and we were not always where we needed to be tonight,” he said. “That group came in and certainly lifted our standard to where it needed to be. They know what is expected of them, whether they step on the field to start the game, 10 minutes in, or 80 minutes into the game. There is an expectation for competing and they know what that is; they are talented enough to show it, which they did.”

Jayla Blue celebrates with teammates after her first career goal. (Tennessee Athletics)

Tennessee will play its fourth consecutive home game this Sunday, Aug. 23, at 6 p.m. against Western Carolina at Regal Soccer Stadium. Parking and admission are free.

The Lady Vols will play the first road match of the 2026 season at Virginia on Sept. 3. Jordan will miss that game because she made the roster reveal for training camp announced Wednesday by United States Soccer Federation for the upcoming U-20 World Cup in Poland. The camp will be held Aug. 26-Sept. 5.

As an alternate, Jordan will return to Tennessee after camp, which is held in Poland, unless she is included on the final roster via replacement, a decision that can be made 24 hours before the first match, which is set for Sept. 6. The Lady Vols host Northwestern on Sept. 6 at Regal Soccer Stadium, so Jordan also will that game since she will be in Poland at least through Sept. 5.

The native of Las Vegas is an elite soccer player and was ranked No. 6 in the country in the 2026 class. She is among the eight players who have scored their first goal as a Tennessee player.

“Ayva can create out of nothing,” Kirt said. “She can be dangerous from six yards out or 60. She’s worked really hard over the spring to get herself in a good place physically and tactically and has taken advantage of it.”

THREE MEEKS

The induction of Chamique Holdsclaw last weekend into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame reunited the “Three Meeks” in Springfield, Massachusetts, when Semeka Randall and Tamika Catchings made the trip to celebrate with their former Lady Vol teammate.

The trio recreated an iconic photo from college when the Meeks electrified women’s basketball in the 1997-98 season with a national title and 39-0 finish. Randall and Catchings switched places for the 2026 edition.

The public post can be viewed HERE with “Rocky Top” music on Facebook.

A public post by Randall captured her joy that Holdsclaw finally made it into Naismith that can be read HERE.

An excerpt: What an unbelievable weekend! I was so overwhelmed and grateful to be in the midst of greatness.

First, congratulations to ALL of the Hall of Famers! The body of work each one accomplished is incredible, inspiring and truly deserving of celebration. It was such a special treat to hear their stories and learn about the people who helped mold and support each of them along the way. I also had the chance to connect with so many great people in this game – honestly, I could go on and on about that.

But I have to say, I was especially so, so happy for Chamique Holdsclaw to FINALLY get her flowers. … And I know Coach was smiling down from heaven, seeing her legacy being honored.

The 2026 class also included former Lady Vol legend Candace Parker and the 1996 U.S. Women’s Olympics team that included Tennessee’s Carla McGhee and the late Nikki McCray.

One of the people who escorted Parker to the stage was Georgetown and NBA great Allen Iverson, who donned a Tennessee hat and jacket with Parker’s name and number on his jacket for the occasion. Parker picked her number in high school as No. 3 because Iverson was who she watched and patterned her game after.

“AI will always stand for Allen Iverson,” Parker said. “I don’t care what today says. It will always stand for Allen Iverson.”

The video montage and full speech of Parker’s induction speech can be watched HERE. Holdsclaw’s segment can be watched HERE. The 1996 Olympic team segment is HERE. It was the dominant success and star power of the 1996 team that captivated the world stage and boosted the formation of the WNBA, which started in 1997 and celebrated 30 years this summer.

If anyone wants to watch the full ceremony, which starts with Holdsclaw and ends with Parker, click HERE. The other inductees were Elena Delle Donne, Amar’e Stoudemire, Doc Rivers, Mark Few, Mike D’Antoni and referee Joey Crawford.

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Maria M. Cornelius started her journalism career at the Knoxville News Sentinel and began writing about the Lady Vols in 1998. In 2016, she published her first book, “The Final Season: The Perseverance of Pat Summitt,” through The University of Tennessee Press and a 10th anniversary edition was released June 16, 2026. A third book, “The Legacy of Pat Summitt” will be released Nov. 17, 2026.