NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Sophomore Lindsay Ratterman’s penalty-kick goal at the 101:17 mark in double overtime provided Vanderbilt a 1-0 win over South Florida Sunday afternoon at the VU Soccer Complex.
The Commodores remained perfect on the season, moving to 3-0, while the loss dropped the Bulls to 1-1-1.
“Winning in overtime is a mentality and it’s all about who wants to put the ball in the back of the net first,” said Vanderbilt head coach Ronnie Coveleskie. “I am very confident with our team in overtime and I think we are strong mentally and physically.”
Ratterman’s penalty kick came after a South Florida defender committed a foul inside the box on Megan Kinsella who would have potentially had a clean shot on goal.
“I don’t decide who takes the penalty kick,” said Coveleskie. “The player that feels confident and wants the game in their hands is the one that steps up and Lindsay stepped up and put that ball in the net like a champion.”
Ratterman kicked the ball past the USF keeper high and into the left side of the goal for her first score of the year.
“I always go to the same spot on pk’s,” said the redshirt sophomore from Colorado. “They tell you not to mess with something that works and I put it right there.”
Vanderbilt once again dominated the match from a statistical standpoint holding a 20-7 shot advantage and a 7-1 corner kick lead, and controlled possession for most of the contest. It was a physical affair with 20 combined fouls and two yellow cards in the game.
Megan Forester had four shots, two on goal, and Molly Kinsella added three shots on goal to lead the Commodore attack. Freshman Candace West came off the bench with three shots of her own, including two on goal.
It was the second straight 1-0 double overtime home victory for the Dores after defeating Belmont in the season opener last Sunday. It was the sixth shutout of sophomore goalkeeper Rachel Bachtel’s career as she notched two saves in today’s game.
VU was able to use 19 players in the game, while USF used 20.
“I was extremely proud that we had the opportunity to play everyone for the second consecutive game,” head coach Ronnie Coveleskie said.
The Commodores will be on an extended road trip with four road games over the next two weeks. The trip starts when they face East Tennessee State and Tennessee Tech next Friday and Sunday to complete a stretch of four of five games against teams in the state. VU’s next home game will be against UAB on Friday, Sept. 21 at 2 p.m. CT.
“Winning these close games really helps our team spirit and we continue to get better everyday,” said Ratterman. “Last year we would have lost these close games, but this year we know how to close them out.”
