April 29, 2015
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — On Feb. 15, Vanderbilt first-year soccer coach Darren Ambrose met with his team for the first time. The very next day, Ambrose got his first glimpse of his Commodores in action with the first spring practice. The next week Vanderbilt opened spring competition with its first game against Murray State.
Needless to say, Ambrose and the Commodores quickly got acquainted in a spring season that flew at warp speed. Still, when Vanderbilt ended the spring a couple weeks ago with a win at Louisville, both head coach and team came away with a sense of optimism for the potential that lies ahead.
“I think we came a long way in the seven weeks or so,” Ambrose said. “I think we started off slowly… but it was also good to get a starting point so we knew what we were up against and what we had and what our weaknesses were. Over the course of the spring, I think as a team we got better. We saw some individuals rise and give more than what they probably had done in the past and responded really well. Come the end of the spring, I think we all felt very good about where we were.”
Vanderbilt concluded the spring with a 3-2 record. After dropping their opener to Murray State, the Commodores won three of their final four. They came from behind to beat Evansville 4-1, then ended the spring with two straight victories — a 1-0 shutout of crosstown neighbor Lipscomb and a 3-1 victory against ACC foe Louisville.
Freshman Colby Ciarrocca led the team in scoring with five goals. Sophomore Simone Charley, who joined the team after finishing with an All-American fourth-place finish in the triple jump at the NCAA Indoor Track Championships, scored three goals. Junior Erin Myers and sophomore Sasha Gray also scored. Ciarrocca, Charley, redshirt junior Taylor Elliott and redshirt freshman Lydia Simmons added assists.
Ambrose was also pleased with the progression of goalkeepers sophomore Olivia Liebman and freshman Christiana Ogunsami. He said the team began to buy into the concept of team defending as well, something he stressed would be important on the first day he arrived on campus.
The Commodores now head home for summer break. The first game of the Darren Ambrose era begins on Aug. 21 at home against Miami-Ohio.
“I think they’ve had a lot thrown at them,” Ambrose said. “The initial shot to the system has now soaked in. They’ve worked really, really hard — harder than I think they expected to for a spring. But, with that, I think they’ve seen what can happen with it. That is obviously a real positive. At this point, I would say, yeah, they’ve done a great job.”