The hottest team in NCAA Women’s Soccer resides in Nashville, Tennessee.
#12 Vanderbilt Soccer took down Auburn 3-0 on the road to extend its unbeaten streak to 15 games, the longest in the NCAA.
It was a day for Vanderbilt’s freshmen to shine as both Raegan Kelley and Peyton Cutshall got on the scoreboard. Junior Grace Jackson opened the scoring with a penalty kick goal in the opening minutes of the second half. Vanderbilt flat-out dominated the second half by putting up 13 shots to Auburn’s six.
The Commodores are now in position to clinch the SEC regular season title on Sunday with a win over Kentucky and a loss or draw by #8 South Carolina.
In the early minutes, both teams found plenty of possession but neither registered a shot as the Tigers and Commodores tried to figure each other out. Eventually, Vanderbilt got into more of an offensive rhythm and started to bring the pressure forward. Redshirt freshman forward Haley Hopkins let a few shots fly, but none found their way on frame.
Auburn primarily found opportunities stemming from counterattacks, after longer stretches of Vanderbilt possession. That started to change in the late stages of the half as Auburn built more and more towards the offensive end. The Tigers finally built an attack into the Vanderbilt box in the final minutes of the first half, but couldn’t build it into a shot as Vanderbilt earned the clearance.
A back-and-forth first half ended with no goals and neither team earning any grade-A shots. Vanderbilt finished the half with a three-to-one shot advantage and registered the only shot on goal of the half.
Early in the second half, a fantastic cross in for Hopkins got to her feet, but the chip shot missed wide of the post. Vanderbilt came back with pressure but couldn’t find any other shots on a few more crosses.
Minutes later, Auburn came within inches of scoring the opening goal on a header off a corner kick, but it ricocheted off the post and out. On an ensuing counterattack, Hopkins got free behind the defense but put the ball right into Auburn keeper Sarah Le Beau. Shortly after, Vanderbilt inched into the box and Hopkins was shoved down, earning Vanderbilt a penalty kick.
Jackson stepped up to take the penalty kick and calmly slotted it home in the lower right corner to make it 1-0 Vanderbilt.
The Commodore attack didn’t stop there as Vanderbilt continued to bring it forward and an Madison Elwell curling shot tricked just past the far post. Hopkins nearly got free again, but a quick shot went right off a scrambling Le Beau.
Midway through the half, Vanderbilt kept the pressure on, and the Commodores doubled the lead on a goal from Kelley. Olivia Simmons, who had just come into the game, laid a cross through the box. It trickled through everybody and got to Kelley at the back post, who buried it to give Vanderbilt a 2-0 lead.
Vanderbilt continued to dominate the second half and found a third goal thanks to a Peyton Cutshall goal on a chaotic sequence in the box. It was Cutshall’s second of the season, both coming in SEC play.
Auburn put some pressure on late in the half, but it didn’t amount to any dangerous shots.
Vanderbilt moves to 14-1-1 overall and 7-0-1 in SEC play with the victory. The Commodores will return home for a matchup with Kentucky on Sunday before closing out the regular season on the road at Ole Miss next Thursday.
