Tennessee soccer takes another hit with season-ending leg injury to leading scorer Jaida Thomas

Tennessee soccer lost a third veteran starter to a season-ending injury with the loss of Jaida Thomas after suffering a leg injury, according to Tennessee athletics on Saturday.

Thomas, the team's returning leading scorer, only played in two games this season against SMU and Indiana. The senior forward scored her only goal of the season against the Hoosiers to tie the game. It put her at 39 career goals, only five goals away from surpassing Kylee Rossi's program record 43 goals to become Tennessee's all-time leading scorer. Thomas scored 13 goals and was an All-SEC First Team selection last season.

Her injury is a devastating blow to Tennessee (5-2-1, 0-1 SEC) but also Thomas, who has faced season-ending injuries previously. Thomas suffered two ACL tears in high school, the second forcing her to redshirt her freshman season at UT. Thomas still has an extra year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Starting defender Tara Katz, who has been a staple of the back line for four seasons, suffered a season-ending injury in preseason. Katz has started in 54 of her 73 appearances for Tennessee and logged 5,159 minutes. She has scored one goal and had four assists.

Katz had returned for her fifth year, along with starting midfielder Claudia Dipasupil, who was forced to medically retire before the season began. Dipasupil was in and out of the starting lineup last season due to injuries, but started in seven of her 14 appearances in 2022. She had 12 goals and 16 assists in her four seasons at Tennessee.

Tennessee also lost Jenna Chatterton due to a season-ending injury she suffered against ETSU. The junior midfielder started in one of her three appearances this season.

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.