Commodores Beat MTSU; Push Win Streak to Four

Commodores Beat MTSU; Push Win Streak to Four

9/9/2005

Murfreesboro, Tenn. — The Vanderbilt women’s soccer team ended MiddleTennesseeState’s 13-home game winning streak with a 2-0 victory that extended its own winning streak to four games Friday afternoon.

“Obviously we are happy to get our fourth straight win,” said head coach Ronnie Coveleskie Hill. “However, as a team we don’t feel as if we played our best soccer. It is important for us to keep building as a team ?– this is a long season. And our plan is to be totally committed to our improvement as a team.”

The No. 25 Commodores (4-1-0) took little more than six minutes to score and spent the rest of the game preserving their fourth straight shutout. Junior goalkeeper Tyler Griffin (Charlotte, N.C.) has not been scored on since the final minutes of the season-opening loss at Colorado, a streak of more than 316 consecutive scoreless minutes. The all-time Vanderbilt record is 450 minutes by Christy Baringer in 1994.

“The bright spots of the day were two, well composed goals — one by Jessie Lenze (Peachtree City, Ga.) and the other by Lea Lafield (Dallas, Texas),” Hill said. “Also, the defensive effort was good for our fourth shutout.”

Lafield, a junior midfielder, got things started when scored from 15 yards in front of the goal in the seventh minute off an assist from sophomore midfielder Amy Baumann (Highlands Ranch, Colo.). It was Lafield’s first goal and Baumann’s first assist on the season.

Lafield nearly made it a two-goal advantage later in the first half when she raced past the defense to collect a long pass from junior defender Kim Perkins (Highlands Ranch Colo). Lafield’s shot was saved by Blue Raider goalkeeper Danielle Perreault. Perreault recorded seven saves, including a couple stops in one-on-one situations.

The team’s second goal came right out of the gate in the second half. Senior midfielder Meghan Habig (Sheridan, Ind.) passed the ball up to freshman Amy Wilcox (Arlington, Va.) who found Lenze to put it in the back of the net. It was Lenze’s third goal in her inaugural season, while Habig recorder her second assist and Wilcox earned her team-leading third assist on the young season.

The Commodores put the pressure on MTSU with its 20 shots, while allowing only eight. Griffin recorded two saves and junior defender Kari Boersma (Littleton, Colo.) knocked away a last-second Blue Raider effort to maintain the shut out.

The Commodores will play in Birmingham, Ala. Sunday against UAB at 2 pm.