NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Freshman forward Kelsey Tillman scored two goals, but the Commodores hit the crossbar three times and settled for a 3-3 draw in their Southeastern Conference home opener Friday against Alabama.
Sophomore goalkeeper Alexa Levick registered 11 saves on the evening–her third game this season with at least 10 stops in the Commodore goal.
Tillman gave the Commodores the lead in the 10th minute. Senior Dana Schwartz served a ball across the face of the goal and Tillman settled it at the corner of the six-yard box. Two touches pulled the ball of the end line before Tillman shot the ball inside the far post underneath UA goalkeeper Shelby Church.
Molly Atherton tied the game up at 1-1 in the 22nd minute. Pia Rijsdijk hit a low cross past the top of the 18, and Atherton cracked a shot from 22 yards out that beat Levick to the top right.
Vanderbilt again took the lead just before halftime. Freshman Jamie Kator played a ball over the top that was controlled by sophomore Gena Inbusch heading down the left side. Inbusch battled a defender before chipping a shot over the goalkeeper with 55 seconds left on the clock.
The Commodores expanded their lead in the 56th minute. Freshman Cheyna Williams played Dana Schwartz toward the end line. Schwartz cross a ball low that Tillman ran onto the end of and one-timed into the back of the net.
It took two goals in the last 23 minutes of regulation to tie the game. Theresa Diedirich got one back in the 68th minute off an assist from Kendall Khanna. In the 77th minute, Atherton scored her second to level the game with a shot from 26 yards out.
Levick made two huge saves in the game’s final minutes and three more stops in overtime to keep the game level.
The Commodores will play host to South Carolina on Sunday at 1 p.m. CT. The game will be televised on CSS and available online on WatchESPN.com.
