AUBURN, Ala. – Abi Brighton scored for Vanderbilt in the final 10 minutes of the match to tie the game 2-2 at No. 6/2 Auburn on Thursday night at the Auburn Soccer Complex. Both teams remain unbeaten this season.
Vanderbilt (5-0-3, 0-0-1) struck first off a powerful serve from Caroline Betts to Maci Teater in front of the left post. Rachel Deresky trailed at the top of box when Teater found her right in front of the net for the strike in the 20th minute. Deresky put the ball in the back of the net for her fifth time in three games. It was also the first goal that Auburn has conceded this season.
2️⃣3️⃣ 🤝 1️⃣7️⃣ pic.twitter.com/cwQU4oHmYj
— Vanderbilt Soccer (@VandySoccer) September 19, 2024
Auburn (8-0-1, 0-0-1) responded in the 29th minute with a score from Dylan Driver, assisted by Mallory Mooney. Sydnie Thibodaux scored the go-ahead with just a minute remaining in the first half. Thibodaux took a shot at the top of the box but a tackle from Jessica Hinton caused the ball to rebound back to Thibodaux who connected just below the crossbar.
The second half began with a battle for possession. Goalkeeper Kate Devine made her second save of the half allowing Vandy to start an offensive push down the field. From a throw-in, Deresky passed to Teater in the final third, who found Brighton 25 yards out. Brighton took her defender one-on-one and launched a shot between the pipes tying the match with 10 minutes remaining.
Abi with the the equalizer 😤 pic.twitter.com/1gjlfPPIJ7
— Vanderbilt Soccer (@VandySoccer) September 20, 2024
This was Brighton’s first goal of the season and the 10th of her career.
💥 FIRE. US. UP. ABI. BRIGHTON. 💥 pic.twitter.com/kw8XF3MbCe
— Vanderbilt Soccer (@VandySoccer) September 20, 2024
The Commodores return to action on Sunday afternoon, hosting Georgia. The contest is slated for 1 p.m. and will be shown on SEC Network+.
