NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Vanderbilt Commodores (6-3-1, 1-0-1) faced a tough challenge Thursday night as the Arkansas Razorbacks (6-4-1, 1-0-1) came to town.
Arkansas came into the contest second in the SEC in goals and the Commodores had Taiana Tolleson in net making her first career start. Tolleson and the Commodore back line held the Razorback offense in check but the Dores were unable to get a goal of their own and the game ended in a scoreless draw after 110 minutes of play.
Head coach Darren Ambrose thought the team gave great effort on the defensive end and was pleased with Tolleson’s first start.
“I think she got better as the game went on,” said Ambrose. “There were some nerves to start with but I think she got better and better as the game went on. In the end of the day we got a shutout and that is great but it also needs to be credited to Cristina De Zeeuw and the entire back line. I think we really limited Arkansas chances and they are a good team and very dynamic and aggressive.”
In the first half, there were not many opportunities available for either team.
Arkansas got the first chance of the match in the 14th minute off a corner kick. Haley Vanfossen sent the ball into the box and it got bounced around before Stefani Doyle got a chance inside the six-meter box but sent the shot high.
The Commodores would get the next chance later in the 31st minute. Lydia Simmons would make a run into the Dores’ attacking third before passing it off to Grace Jackson. Jackson took one touch and sent it back to Simmons who fired off a shot from 25 yards out. The ball would curve towards the near post but Arkansas’ goalie made the save.
Going into halftime, Arkansas had a 6-1 lead in shots but the Commodores would have the lone shot on net.
In the second half, play started to open up and there were more opportunities for both teams in the attacking third.
The best opportunity of the second half came from the Commodores after a long string of passes. Caroline Saltmarsh would end up with the ball and put a low shot on net. Rachel Harris looked to scoop it up but it went through her legs and almost trickled into the net before she recovered to make the save on the goal line.
In overtime, the Dores had a chance to start the second period of OT to end the game. Myra Konte took the ball from the left side and started to make a move towards the box. She got past two defenders and fired a shot towards the far post. Rachel Harris sprawled out and deflected the ball away keeping the scored tied and led to the eventual draw.
Up next for the Commodores is a road trip down to Athens, Ga. They face the Bulldogs Sunday at 1 pm CT. The match will be broadcast on the SEC Network +.
