Oct. 16, 2014
Game Notes | Greene Interview | Inbusch Interview
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Five games remain in the regular season, but Vanderbilt coach Derek Greene wants his team to play as if the Commodores are in five one-game tournaments.
Vanderbilt heads to Mississippi State for a 7 p.m. tilt on Friday and a 5 p.m. match against in-state rival Tennessee on Sunday. Both games can be watched online via SEC Network +.
The two road games are crucial if the Commodores (5-8-1, 0-5-1 SEC) hope to qualify for a spot in the 10-team SEC Tournament for the first time in four years. Vanderbilt is currently in 13th place (ahead of Mississippi State) with one point. LSU and Tennessee are tied for 11th with four points and Auburn is in the coveted 10th spot with six points.
Each win garners three points and a tie equals a point so the Commodores know a trip to Orange Beach, Ala., and the SEC Tournament is still very much a possibility. But in order to do so, Vanderbilt must first snap a four-game losing streak and pick up its first SEC win since last year – a 5-3 victory over Mississippi State on Oct. 20, 2013.
“This is a program we are trying to develop, we are trying to grow, and I hope these kids understand, we try to impress upon them all the time that every game and every 90 minutes is a new 90 minutes,” Greene said. “They have to understand what is on the line. This is (equivalent to) a state cup semifinal for their youth level play. This is a high school state semifinal game. Every game matters right now. So they have to go with that mentality and understand that is what is on the line for them. That every game is truly the next step to getting them to where they want to be.”
‘DORES WEEKLY REPORT
The Commodores (5-8-1, 0-5-1 SEC) dropped their lone game last week — a 6-2 defeat to No. 10 Texas A&M.
Vanderbilt scored for the first time in nearly three weeks, snapping a four-game scoreless streak. Sophomore Simone Charley scored her fourth goal of the season in the ninth minute to tie the game at 1-1. Junior Erin Myers notched her first goal of the season and second of her career in the 38th minute to pull within 3-2 at halftime.
The Aggies pulled away with three goals in the second half. They finished with 35 shots to tie a season high. Amid the barrage of shots, Vanderbilt’s freshman goalkeeper Christiana Ogunsami made a school-record 15 saves. It was the most saves by a Vanderbilt keeper since Christy Barringer made 15 stops on Oct. 17, 1992.
SCOUTING MISSISSIPPI STATE AND TENNESSEE
Vanderbilt hits the road this weekend to play Mississippi State at 7 p.m. on Friday and Tennessee at 5 p.m. on Sunday.
The Commodores are 13-3 all-time against Mississippi State and have won 10 of 11. The Bulldogs (3-10, 0-6) have lost six straight and haven’t won an SEC game since Oct. 25, 2012. They are led by Shannen Jainudeen, who has a team-high six goals.
Tennessee (6-7-1, 1-4-1) hasn’t lost to Vanderbilt in the last four meetings of the series, going 3-0-1. The teams are tied all-time 9-9-3, with Vanderbilt’s last win coming in 2009. Tennessee is led by Hannah Wilkinson’s four goals. Goalkeeper Jamie Simmons has made 54 saves and post six shutouts.
WINS UP
Vanderbilt already has more wins than it had all of last season. The Commodores needed just eight games to win five this fall. Last year, they finished the season 4-12-3 and entered league play 3-3-2. One more win will give Vanderbilt its most wins since the 2011 season when the team went 8-11.
`DORES SOLID AT HOME
Protecting the house, indeed. The Commodores are an impressive 4-1-1 at home this year. On Sunday, they suffered their first home loss, a 1-0 setback to Alabama. But they won their first four games before tying Auburn on Friday. The four wins are the most at home since 2011. The Commodores last started a season 4-0 at home in 2009.
STOUT FIRST HALF D’
Vanderbilt has allowed just four goals in the first half this year. Through the first 12 games, the Commodores were the only team in the SEC not to give up a first-half goal.
Missouri ended that streak with a goal in the first 24 seconds of the game. No. 10 Texas A&M, which leads the league with 37 goals, tacked on three in the first half against VU on Oct. 10.
Still, Vanderbilt has allowed just four goals against 95 first-half shots this season.
SHOOTING FRENZY
Vanderbilt put up some numbers that hadn’t been seen in a while when it blanked Chattanooga 6-0 on Sunday, Sept. 14.
The 47 shots were nearly double the Commodores’ previous season-high of 25 against Mercer and the most since Sept. 15, 2005 when they fired off 47 shots in a 1-0 win over Morehead State. In addition, sophomore forward Simone Charley’s 10 shots against the Mocs tied for the second most in a single game.
OGUNSAMI TIES SCHOOL RECORD FOR SAVES
Vanderbilt freshman goalkeeper Christiana Ogunsami tied the school record with 15 saves against No. 10 Texas A&M on Oct. 10. It was the most saves by a Vanderbilt keeper since Christy Barringer made 15 stops on Oct. 17, 1992.
The Cherry Hill, N.J., native has quickly risen to the top of the SEC charts. The 5-foot-11 Ogunsami leads the league in saves (84) and saves per game (6.00) and is fifth in save percentage (.792). She has started all 14 games and has posted three shutouts.