No. 25 Vanderbilt Soccer took down No. 16 Georgetown, 1-0, on Thursday night to improve to 5-1 on the season. Senior midfielder Ally Bollig had a goal in the 42nd minute to give the Commodores a lead, while Vanderbilt goalkeeper Sara Wojdelko had nine saves on the night.  

“They were brilliant,” head coach Darren Ambrose said. “The game was played [in] two halves, but I mean the first half, I think we dominated possession [and] created a couple of chances.”

Vanderbilt began the match with intensity, consistently pressuring Georgetown and breaking away from defenders. Still, the Georgetown defense had an answer for all of Vanderbilt’s offensive movements. The Hoyas were quick to get back on the attack after regaining possession, earning back-to-back corner kicks just six minutes into the game. Wojdelko protected the net well, though, blocking two shot attempts in the span of a few minutes.  

Both sides exchanged multiple possessions in the first 15 minutes, fighting for field position. The Commodores entered the box twice but could not create any shots on goal. As the Hoyas marched it down the opposite way, Georgetown’s Shay Montgomery received a well-placed pass inside the box and shot the ball just in reach of Wojdelko who tipped the ball away with 30 minutes left in the half. The Commodores had survived yet another scare.  

A Commodore corner at the 17-minute mark was a great opportunity to score, but it was squandered after the kicker sailed it over the opposite end of the box. However, a promising cross 25 minutes into the half from Vanderbilt’s Adysen Armenta to Olivia Stafford set up a great opportunity, but Stafford couldn’t quite locate the ball to head it in. 

Vanderbilt immediately went back on the attack as Stafford had a great shot on goal with 12 minutes remaining in the half. However, Georgetown keeper Cara Martin had her head on a swivel and caught the ball with ease. 

With just two minutes to go in the first half, Vanderbilt finally broke through to take a 1-0 lead. Ally Bollig knocked one in the back of the net with significant traffic in the box. The half finished shortly after, and Vanderbilt headed to the locker room with a lead.  

“I just saw the ball drop, and I give a lot of credit to my teammates,” Bollig said of her goal after the game. “We work on that every single practice. I saw the net, and I was like, ‘I’ve got to finish this.'”

The Commodores had just two shots on goal for the first half compared to Georgetown’s four. Wojdelko led the game in saves with four, while Martin had just one save.  

Georgetown got things started in the second half as Henley Tippens sent a shot to the bottom right corner of the net, but Wojdelko was there to block the shot.  

Both teams went back and forth through the first 10 minutes of the second half, exchanging possessions and testing the opposing defense. Sydney Watts was fouled just outside the box, setting up a critical free kick for the Commodores. Watts perfectly placed the ball in the box for Vivian Akyirem, but she couldn’t finish.  

Georgetown hustled back down the field after the save, as Georgetown’s Maja Lardner was one-on-one with Wojdelko. The veteran keeper was able to get a hand on the ball and knock it out of the box, saving a potential equalizer with 28 minutes remaining in the game. 

A few crosses from both teams set up opportunities near the net, however, neither side could convert. With 11 minutes remaining in the game, neither team was dominating possession time.  

A foul on Tippens set up another Vanderbilt free kick, but the Commodores squandered the opportunity. Vanderbilt fought off a number of offensive attacks from Georgetown, eventually holding its 1-0 lead until the clock hit zero.  

Bollig’s sole goal in the first half was enough to get the Commodores a victory over a ranked opponent.  

“[Bollig] is now fully healthy, and she’s playing like the kid I knew she was,” Ambrose said after the match. “She’s also a well respected individual on the team. She always puts [the] team first. It’s a huge plus for our program to have someone like that.”

The Commodores next take the field on Sunday, Sept. 7, as they take on Middle Tennessee in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, at 6:00 p.m. CST.