Coming off a thrilling 2-2 draw against No. 6 Auburn, Vanderbilt Soccer (5-1-3) returned to the Plex for its SEC home opener against Georgia (5-3-2). Entering this match on a blazing tear offensively, Vanderbilt went cold, failing to score despite 18 shots and 9 corners. The Bulldogs were able to slot in a goal early in the game and held the Commodores off thanks to a masterful defensive performance.
Early on, both teams traded possessions, racing up the field to try and establish any form of advantage in the opposition’s half. The first major chance came for the Bulldogs when defender Cate Hardin drove up the left wing and slid a clean ball through the box to Georgia’s star forward Margie Detrizio. Vanderbilt goalkeeper Kate Devine rejected Detrizio to keep them game-level with a wondrous save.
Eventually, Georgia capitalized in a similar scenario to open the scoring in the 16th minute. Hardin again dashed up the wing, this time sending another ball across the field which was put in the net by a quick-footed Summer Denigan right past Devine’s outstretched arms.
The first thirty minutes of the game were an up-and-down performance on the offensive end for Vanderbilt. While they continuously moved the ball upfield and controlled possession, the Commodores struggled to convert on set pieces and found issues generating quality shots on target.
In one instance, captain Abi Brighton had a chance to equalize as she fired a ball from around 25 yards out, but her attempt went flying past the top crossbar. Just a minute later, another strong opportunity materialized as Vivian Akyirem broke past her lone defender, only for Georgia’s goalkeeper Jordan Brown to sprint forward and make a fantastic save with her left foot.
A frustrating 45 minutes ended with Vanderbilt trailing 1-0, even as it outshot Georgia 6-3 and took five corner kicks to Georgia’s three. The Commodores spent 61% of their total possession time in Georgia’s half with nothing to show for it.
As the second half kicked off, Vanderbilt was immediately forced onto the defensive. The Bulldogs surged forward with every touch, getting three shots on Devine within one minute, although none found the mark. The Commodores returned with an energized attack of their own but were again repelled by a stalwart Georgia defense led by Brown, who sent away a dangerously close shot from Akyirem.
Vanderbilt kept applying pressure, swarming around Georgia players in attempts to regain possession in the hope of turning quickly back onto offense. The Commodores took four corner kicks and four shots within five minutes, but the Bulldogs still found a way to prevent Vanderbilt from getting on the board.
In the 71st minute, Courtney Jones took a touch on the left wing and delivered a beautiful ball in front of the goal, giving Addie Porter a chance for a game-tying header, but Vanderbilt’s misfortune prevailed once again as her clean knock skidded by the post in the left corner. The match was full of moments like this: instances in which Vanderbilt seemed to have a chance that would ultimately be squandered.
Even though the Commodores played ferociously through the dying embers of the contest, nothing went their way in the final ten minutes. Urged on by a loud crowd, chances piled up all afternoon for Vanderbilt as it attacked without hesitation. However, the group’s efforts were to no avail, and the Commodores ultimately fell 1-0, logging their first loss of the year.
“I thought we dominated the game. I thought we were better than Georgia,” Ambrose said. “We created two or three moments to score a goal and we lacked the technical quality and decision-making in the box.”
Next up, Vanderbilt will take on Arkansas at the Plex, on Sept. 26 at 7 p.m. CDT as it seeks to right the ship and capture its first conference win of the season.
