Returning to Nashville after a tough 1-2 loss to Texas, No. 24 Vanderbilt Soccer (8-3-1, 2-2-1) squared off against Auburn (5-4-3, 1-2-2) on Thursday. Following a dominant first half, the Commodores fended off the Tigers’ potent offense to secure a 1-0 win.
“Tonight was a typical SEC game. We dominated one half and probably should have gone up by more than one goal. We let [Auburn] hang around, and we defended well enough to win,” head coach Darren Ambrose said.
First half
The Commodores began the game on the offensive, exchanging numerous passes before Olivia Stafford stormed down the right sideline and crossed a ball to the feet of Auburn’s goalkeeper, Ayana Yapo, who quickly cleared it. A few moments later, Courtney Jones marched the ball to the top of Auburn’s penalty area and fired a sinking shot toward the right goalpost. Yapo made a diving, one-handed save. In the seventh minute, Hayden Colson committed a hard foul, awarding Maci Teater a free kick mere feet beyond Auburn’s penalty arc. The Missouri native was unable to convert, launching a shot directly into a wall of Tigers.
Vanderbilt did not let off the gas pedal. In the 13th minute, Teater intercepted a misplaced pass near the top-right corner of Auburn’s penalty area and fired the ball to a sprinting Stafford in the bottom-left corner. Just before the ball trailed past the goal line and out of bounds, Stafford crossed it to Sydney Watts, who tapped it past an outstretched Yapo to give Vanderbilt a 1-0 lead. Just minutes later, the Black and Gold nearly scored again, as Reagan Pentz’s soaring cross narrowly missed Auburn’s net.
The ‘Dores continued to dominate the time of possession game, playing stout defense and making accurate passes to thwart Auburn’s offense. The Tigers’ first scoring opportunity came in the 26th minute, when Erin Flurey directed a shot into the hands of Alexa Gianoplus.
The squads continued to exchange possessions for the next several minutes, with neither team able to apply substantial pressure. Such offensive stagnancy concluded when Ellett Smith lasered a shot off her defender, resulting in a Commodore corner kick. The Black and Gold were unable to capitalize, as Yapo punched the ensuing cross upward and out of play. A chaotic exchange afforded Melania Fullerton an open shot inside Auburn’s penalty area, which was blocked. Play temporarily paused when Auburn’s Dylan Driver suffered an apparent upper-body injury and exited the match. An additional stoppage occurred when Vanderbilt’s Ally Bollig began bleeding down her left leg and was taken off the field for medical treatment.
The Commodores applied last-second pressure in the waning moments of the half, but Fullerton sailed a shot over Auburn’s top goalpost as time expired. The first half concluded with the Black and Gold up 1-0.
Second half
Auburn applied pressure early in the second half, as Grace Ivey slipped past Vanderbilt’s back line, receiving a through ball and blasting a shot off the gloves of Gianoplus. The Tigers were unable to convert the ensuing corner kick.
A Grace Freeman foul afforded the Tigers a free kick in Vanderbilt territory, but the Commodore defense cleared the pass out of harm’s way. Moments later, Driver connected a pass to Gracie Brown, who pulled her shot just wide of the upper-right corner of Vanderbilt’s net.
A rough foul by Ivey granted Stafford a free kick just outside the upper-left corner of Auburn’s penalty area. The freshman from Arlington, Virginia sailed a pass into a sea of Commodores and Tigers, which was cleared back toward midfield.
In the 66th minute, the Commodores seemingly fell asleep on defense. Gianoplus cleared a slow roller toward Hannah McLaughlin, who slowly jogged toward the ball. A charging Auburn defender picked the senior’s pocket and hustled toward the net, forcing McLaughlin to hold onto her jersey in an effort to slow her momentum. McLaughlin was quickly penalized with the first yellow card of the game, and Auburn earned a free kick at the top-right corner of Vanderbilt’s penalty area. Gianoplus saved the following shot by Clara Casajuana Vert, to maintain the Black and Gold’s 1-0 lead. Just 45 seconds later, Pentz generated some needed offense for the 24th-ranked Commodores, firing a shot at Yapo. The redshirt freshman caught the ball for her second save of the game.
In the 74th minute, Taylor Chism hooked a low shot past Vanderbilt’s back line and toward Gianoplus’s right goalpost. The Virginia native dove toward the ball for another save. Subsequent corner kicks in the 76th and 77th minutes were unsuccessful for the Tigers, as Vanderbilt’s defense remained strong.
The Tigers continued to attack the Commodores, with Shelby Sallee and Layla Sirdah blasting two shots at Vanderbilt’s goal in the span of 14 seconds. Sallee’s shot ricocheted off a wall of defenders, and Gianoplus caught Sirdah’s header to protect the Black and Gold’s narrow lead.
In the final five minutes of regulation, Vanderbilt defended well, cleared shots and made short, accurate passes to ride out the clock en route to a 1-0 win.
No. 24 Vanderbilt will seek its third SEC win when it travels to Lexington to battle Kentucky on October 5th at 12 p.m. CDT.
