April 19, 2015
VILLANOVA, Pa. – Vanderbilt’s four-match win streak ended on Sunday, but its postseason hopes are not done yet. Despite a 12-10 loss at Villanova, the Commodores still have a chance to make the BIG EAST Tournament, but they will need the team they lost to on Sunday to provide some help.
After controlling the game early on, Vanderbilt (7-9 overall, 4-3 BIG EAST) trailed by two goals at the half and as many as three in the second half before knotting the score at 10 with 6:25 to go on a goal by Alexa Kunowsky. However, Villanova (9-6, 4-2 BIG EAST) would quickly answer with a goal by Jessica Mucci with 4:35 to go. The goal proved to be enough for the Wildcats who denied Vanderbilt on its final two shot attempts. Villanova’s final goal came in the closing seconds on an empty net.
“Our kids fought really hard,” Vanderbilt Head Coach Cathy Swezey said. “We got off to a fast start and then slowed up a little bit at the end of the first half. Defensively, we weren’t getting quite the look we wanted initially so we were trading goals for a bit. Our kids certainly fought back, stayed confident and believed they could get back in the game, and they did.”
Emma Dagres and Mallory Schonk led Vanderbilt’s offensive attack with three goals each. Kunowsky also scored twice and led the team with three draw controls. As a team the Commodores had more shots and draw controls than the Wildcats.
After Villanova pulled back in front at 11-10, Vanderbilt’s Amanda Lockwood won the draw control. Kunowsky’s shot attempt was then blocked. After a ground ball pickup by Lockwood, she was fouled and attempted a free position shot that went wide of the net. Those were Vanderbilt’s final two shots.
The Wildcats would then successfully run the clock down to 32 seconds before committing a turnover. After a Vanderbilt timeout, the Commodores would have one final opportunity to even the score, but they were unable to advance the ball into Villanova territory and turned it over.
Should Vanderbilt have won on Sunday, the Commodores would have secured the No. 3 seed in the BIG EAST Tournament. Despite a loss, Vanderbilt’s postseason hopes aren’t completely dashed.
Vanderbilt will now need some help from Villanova in order to make the four-team tournament. The Commodores will need Villanova to win its season finale against UConn on April 25 to give the Commodores the final spot in the four-team conference tournament. Vanderbilt and UConn would finish the regular season tied with four conference wins, but the Commodores own the head-to-head tiebreaker. Should UConn defeat Villanova, the Commodores’ season would be over.
“We are going to practice this week like we are in,” Swezey said. “We are going to be intense. We are going to push our kids. It is out of our hands, but we are going to prep like we are going to the tournament and be as ready as we possibly can.”
The BIG EAST Tournament begins Thursday, April 30. The four-team tournament concludes with the finals on Saturday, May 2. Should Vanderbilt make the BIG EAST Tournament field, the Commodores would face top-seeded Florida in the first round. Georgetown is the No. 2 seed with the winner of UConn-Villanova matchup earning the No. 3 seed.
