NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Simone Charley found the back of the net and the Vanderbilt defense continued its stingy string of shutout soccer.
The Commodores capped off a pivotal four-point weekend with a 1-0 victory over Arkansas on Sunday afternoon at the VU Soccer Complex. Charley scored in the 12th minute and the defense posted its third straight shutout. Vanderbilt last strung together three straight shutouts in 2009. The Commodores haven’t allowed a goal in more than two weeks, spanning four games and 375 minutes.
“Really proud of them,” Vanderbilt coach Darren Ambrose said. “We knew if we wanted to win we had to play and keep possession. We did that, and in the first half I thought we were exceptional. We knew in the second half that Arkansas would come out with a lot. We knew there would be a lot of aerial battles, a lot of 1 v. 1 defending, a lot of clearing balls. They caused us a scare, but if you defend that many things like that, eventually one might drop. They play the law of averages. Today, we got a little bit of a bounce. But I thought we deserved it. Over the course of the game, I thought the better team won today.”
The victory boosts the Commodores (6-5-4, 2-2-3 SEC) in the league standings. With a tie against No. 20 Kentucky on the road on Friday and its first win over Arkansas for the first time since 2012, Vanderbilt gained four points over the weekend. The Commodores now have nine points in SEC play for ninth place in the league standings. The top 10 teams qualify for the SEC Tournament, which Vanderbilt hasn’t made since 2010.
Charley provided all the offense the team would need in the 12th minute. Redshirt sophomore transfer Danae O’Halloran picked up her first assist as a Vanderbilt Commodore as she raced down the sideline and sent a cross into the box. Her pass bounced off an Arkansas defender and right to Charley. The All-SEC forward settled the ball down with her right foot and finished a shot through an Arkansas defender’s legs, past goalkeeper Jordan Harris and just inside the near post. It was Charley’s fourth goal of the season, but first in exactly a month.
“It has been a tough couple weeks for her,” Ambrose said of Charley. “She expects to score, and she hasn’t. But she has been instrumental in other parts of the game. Today, for me, it is not just the goal with Simone. Everyone remembers the goal. But, to me, it was the defending she did on the set pieces, the headers she won, how she ran through some balls in the last 10, 15 minutes when she’s got no legs. She ran through stuff and made a difference.
“I said to her, ‘That’s the best game you’ve played this year. Not because you scored, but because you did what your team needed you to do.'”
With its first goal since a 1-1 tie against Tennesse on Sept. 27, Vanderbilt buckled down against scrappy Arkansas (5-8-1, 1-5-1). The Commodores controlled possession in the first half and had several scoring opportunities with eight shots before halftime.
The Razorbacks threatened a little bit more in the second half, but the defense and goalkeeper Christiana Ogunsami thwarted their chances. Several crosses into the box resulted in headers by Charley and the back line as Arkansas had just three shots in the second half. The Razorbacks came close to scoring twice, with a goal called back by an offside — Vanderbilt’s Kelsey Carrier had a goal nullified in the first half as well — and a penalty kick that sailed wide left.
The Commodores outshot Arkansas 12-7 and won the corner kick battle 12-4. Ogunsami made two saves and finished the weekend with 10 after eight against Kentucky. The sophomore has an SEC-best 62 saves, her goals against average has dropped to 1.00 and she has five shutouts, including three straight.
As a team, Vanderbilt hasn’t had this many shutouts in league play since posting four in 2010.
“Defending is an understanding between players,” Ambrose said. “One, it is an attitude individually, which I think they are starting to cultivate among themselves. But it is also a collection and an understanding. In the first (exhibition) game against Alabama (on Aug. 13), we made three glaring mistakes in our back line. I said at the time, ‘Look, that’s fine as long they are mistakes now and not in October, November. The kids have been great and have learned every time.
“Ken Masuhr does a phenomenal job. Our assistant coach, who oversees our back line, is why I brought him here. He is phenomenal. Again, a testament to him and how he goes about his work. Our goalkeeper coach Kelly Keelan, too. Look at (Ogunsami) the last two, three games. We just needed time to put things together. I think it is starting to show. Listen, you don’t pat yourself on the back too long. We have big games coming up and we still have to perform.”
Four regular season games remain for the Commodores. They hit the road again this weekend for just one game, against No. 10 South Carolina at 6 p.m. (CST) on Friday in Columbia, S.C. Vanderbilt then has Sunday off before hosting its final two home games of the year — Georgia on Oct. 23 and Missouri on Oct. 25. The regular season ends at Ole Miss on Oct. 29.
