COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Following the upset of No. 11 Tennessee, the Vanderbilt Commodores (10-6-1, 5-3-1) were looking for another ranked win when they faced No. 14 Texas A&M (13-2-1, 8-1-0) Sunday afternoon. The Commodores scored the first goal of the match but the Aggies scored twice within three minutes to squeak by with a 2-1 win.
Following the match, head coach Darren Ambrose was proud of the team’s effort, especially playing shorthanded in the second half.
“We had three freshmen and a graduate student on the back line at Texas A&M and I thought they did fantastic,” said Ambrose. “Sure, any errors were going to get punished and I don’t think we had many at all. I thought they were outstanding and we had chances. Extremely proud of the effort.”
The Commodores were shorthanded due to injury for a majority of the match and relied heavily on their freshman. In total, eight freshmen saw the field at different points during the match against the No. 14 team in country on the road.
Texas A&M took control of possession in the first half and really upped the pressure in the final 20 minutes of the half. The Aggies had 10 shots in the first half but only two were on target and Kaitlyn Fahrner stopped them both.
In the 20th minute Emily Bates had a 1-v-1 with Fahrner and fired a shot high but Fahrner made the save, deflecting the ball above the bar.
Five minutes later, the Aggies looked to have the first goal of the match off of a free kick but the official called offside and waived off the goal.
The Commodores best chance of the half came in the final few minutes as Paola Ellis and Myra Konte started a run up the left side. Ellis played a beautiful ball up to Konte as she made her run towards the box. Konte looked to play the ball back to Ellis at the top of the box but was unable to connect on the pass.
The Commodores were shorthanded due to injury in the second half and relied heavilty on their freshman. In total, eight freshmen saw the field at different points during the match.
The Dores got their first opportunity in the first two minutes of the second half and looked to take advatge of it. They earned their first corner of the afternoon and Lydia Simmons sent it high into the box. Simone Charley got to the ball for the first shot but A&M’s keeper made the initial save. The ball came back out and Charley was there to put the loose ball in the back of the net for the game’s first goal.
The Aggies would answer in the 55th minute. Grace Piper got a pass just outside the 18-yard box, took one touch and hit a shot past Fahrner for the equalizer.
Three minutes later, the Aggies would score again to take the lead. Emily Bates took the ball up the right side just outside the box. She sent a low pass back into the middle of the box where Addie McCain finished the pass off for the goal.
Vanderbilt looked for the equalizer over the final 30 minutes but was unable to finish their opportunities in the attacking third. Texas A&M claimed their ninth win in a row in the 2-1 victory Sunday afternoon.
The Commodores return home for their final regular season game on Thursday against Auburn. It will be Senior Night at the VU Soccer Complex, as the seven Commodore seniors will be honored in their final game on campus. The match is set for an 8:00 pm CT start with ceremonies beginning at 7:40 pm.
