Vanderbilt Soccer (5-2-5) packed the Plex on Friday night with hopes of securing its first SEC win of the season against No. 24 South Carolina (5-1-5). Darren Ambrose’s unit failed to do so, allowing a goal in the 90th minute of a gritty contest to capture a 1-1 draw from the jaws of victory.
The Commodores started the game with a statement. In just 36 seconds of regulation time, Rachel Deresky executed a perfect pass to Sydney Watts at the top left corner of South Carolina’s box, and the rest was history. The sophomore striker from Lenexa, Kansas, rifled a ball into the lower left corner of the Gamecocks’ net to get the Black and Gold on the board.
The ensuing moments saw increased aggression from a Vanderbilt unit hungry to build on its early lead. However, such aggression proved too ambitious, as Abi Brighton was given a yellow card for an unsportsmanlike tackle in just the third minute of play.
Soon enough, the Gamecocks found the equalizer: or so they thought. In the 10th minute, despite sneaking a shot past Kate Devine to even the score, South Carolina was called offside, and the goal was nullified. Moments later, Catherine Barry dribbled past several Vanderbilt defenders and ripped a shot toward the upper crossbar, but Vanderbilt’s netminder was ready for the challenge, leaping high to save Barry’s shot. In the 15th minute, Barry applied even more pressure to Vanderbilt’s defense, and the fifth-year forward directed an ambitious bicycle kick toward the center of Devine’s net. Nevertheless, the Commodores’ backline stood its ground, and Jessica Hinton’s face blocked the ball to maintain Vanderbilt’s 1-0 lead.
In the 33rd minute, Courtney Jones nearly punished the Gamecocks’ sloppy defense. The sophomore raced down the middle of the pitch and intercepted a slow pass toward South Carolina’s back line. Her subsequent shot — a high-riser toward the upper right corner of the net — was barely saved by a backpedaling Christina Tsaousis.
The Gamecocks ended the half with palpable aggression. In the 43rd minute, Emma Bucci controlled a deflected corner kick at the top of the Vanderbilt box and rocketed a ball toward Devine, but she once again remained strong in net. Vanderbilt’s goalkeeper dove to her right to redirect the shot, ending the Gamecocks’ scoring chances and finishing the half with a 1-0 lead.
Once again, Vanderbilt began the ensuing half with physical hostility. Following a Jessica Hinton yellow card for unsportsmanlike tackling, Caroline Betts found space in the Gamecocks’ box and slid a shot toward the bottom right corner of Tsaousis’s net, but the South Carolina goalkeeper dove on the ball to stifle Vanderbilt’s scoring opportunity. In the 59th minute, Betts challenged Tsaousis again: This time, the Nashville native fell inches short of curving a goal past Tsaousis’s leaping figure.
South Carolina countered with attacks of its own. Following a free kick near the top right corner of Vanderbilt’s box, Gracie Falla attempted to even the score with an assertive shot toward Kate Devine’s right foot. The Vanderbilt keeper remained sharp, as she had all night, reaching low to bat the ball away. Vanderbilt got rick back on the counterattack itself. In the 71st minute, Caroline Betts sprinted into South Carolina’s box and directed a cross to an unmarked Julianne Leskauskas. Leskauskas’s left foot sent an absolute laser toward the Gamecocks’ goal, but it just barely missed the goal.
The closest scoring chance of the game came in the 78th minute. A South Carolina corner kick found its way to the front of Vanderbilt’s net, where Catherine Berry was waiting to finally tie the game. However, Kate Devine remained unbeatable in net, flying toward the ball to deter the shot and protect her team’s lead. Devine’s deflection, however, ended up in the right foot of a charging Katie Shea. Once again, Vanderbilt’s defense stood strong, altering Shea’s shot such that it rose over the crossbar.
The final two minutes of regulation were show-stopping as Vanderbilt collapsed while attempting to close the game out. A South Carolina attacker intercepted Kate Devine’s goal kick, who charged down the field and rifled a ball off of Devine’s extended right leg. However, disaster ensued on the rebound, as the Vanderbilt defense failed to clear the deflection, and the ball ultimately ended up in the back of the Commodores’ net. The own goal tied the game at 1-1 and ended the Commodores’ hopes of winning their first SEC game.
When asked about his team’s performance in the final minutes, head coach Darren Ambrose was visibly unhappy but still had high praise for Devine’s overall performance.
“The goal kick was rushed. We should have put it out of bounds on the other side of the field,” Ambrose said. “[Devine made] big-time saves. She kept the game tight and was fantastic,”
Vanderbilt soccer will seek to right the ship when it travels to College Station, TX on October 10th at 7 p.m. CDT against Texas A&M.
