Oct. 20, 2014
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Over the weekend, Vanderbilt forward Simone Charley continued to show why she is one of the most dangerous players in the SEC.
On Monday, the conference took notice by naming her the SEC’s Co-Offensive Player of the Week. Charley picked up the first such honor of her career by scoring all three of Vanderbilt’s goals in two shutout victories over Mississippi State and Tennessee last weekend.
Charley, a sophomore from Hoover, Ala., has scored four goals in three games to up her team-high season total to seven. She has scored five of the team’s six goals in SEC play this year, scored a goal in three straight games and scored three game-winning goals. In less than two seasons, the 2013 SEC All-Freshman selection has 12 career goals for the most among current VU players.
In the 78th minute against Mississippi State the sophomore headed in a corner kick from Lydia Simmons for the lone goal in a 1-0 victory on Friday.
On Sunday at Tennessee, she again accounted for both goals in a 2-0 victory for the first multi-goal game of her career. She scored first in the 37th minute despite receiving contact. She kept her footing and launched a shot from the left side of the box into the top corner for her third game-winning goal of the season.
Her second goal came in the 54th minute on assists from Sasha Gray and Jamie Kator. Charley tapped in a goal with her right foot just inside the six-yard mark. It was Vanderbilt’s first win over Tennessee since 2009 and first victory in Knoxville since the 2008 season.
Vanderbilt (7-8-1, 2-5-1 SEC) returns to action on Friday when it hosts South Carolina at 6 p.m. on Friday. The Commodores then wrap up their home schedule with Ole Miss at 5 p.m. on Sunday on Senior Night.