Nov. 1, 2015
Game Notes | SEC Tournament Central
ORANGE BEACH, Ala. — The Vanderbilt soccer team has arrived at the SEC Tournament for the first time in five years.
But the Commodores aren’t content with just being in the 10-team field. They plan on making some noise and are looking for their first win in the SEC Tournament since 2005. That quest begins on Monday as eighth-seeded Vanderbilt opens against No. 9 seed Georgia at 6 p.m. on the SEC Network.
“We need to go in and compete,” said sophomore midfielder Lydia Simmons, who was named the SEC Co-Offensive Player of the Week on Sunday. “Regular season is over, but this is just the start. We have to come out like it is a brand new season and compete. We’re going to try to win as many games as possible in the SEC Tournament.”
Vanderbilt (8-7-4, 4-4-3) heads into the SEC Tournament in coach Darren Ambrose’s first year as head coach after ending the regular season with a 1-0 victory over No. 12 Ole Miss. Simmons scored the game winner in the 85th minute as the Commodores grabbed their first win over the Rebels since 2009.
Georgia (5-11-1, 4-7) and Vanderbilt just faced each other 10 days ago on Oct. 23 in Nashville. The Bulldogs scored in the second minute and raced to a 3-0 halftime lead. Vanderbilt is looking for its first win over Georgia since 2006. The winner will play No. 1 seed Florida, the SEC regular season champ, at 5 p.m. on Wednesday.
BACK TO THE BEACH
Vanderbilt is back in the SEC Tournament for the first time since 2010. None of the current players or coaches were on the team the last time VU made it.
The ‘Dores clinched a spot on the final day of the regular season Thursday with a 1-0 upset of No. 12 Ole Miss on the road as Lydia Simmons scored the game winner.
Vanderbilt is the eight seed and will play No. 9 seed Georgia at 6 p.m. (CST) on Monday at the Orange Beach Sportsplex. The winner will play No. 1 seed and SEC champ Florida at 5 p.m. on Wednesday.
VU is 12-10-3 all-time in the SEC Tournament, winning the championship twice. The ‘Dores last won a tournament game in 2005.
SCOUTING THE COMPETITION
Vanderbilt will face off against Georgia for the second time in 10 days. The teams met on Oct. 23 in Nashville, with the Bulldogs picking up a 3-1 victory. Georgia scored in the second minute and raced to a 3-0 halftime lead.
Georgia (5-11-1, 4-7) won two of three to close out the regular season. The Bulldogs are led by first-year coach Billy Lesesne, who spent the last 14 years as an assistant coach at Duke. Junior Marion Crowder leads the team with four goals. Sophomore goalkeeper Louise Hogrell has an SEC-best 90 saves.
Georgia leads the all-time series 12-9-1, has won two in a row and seven of the last eight. Vanderbilt last won in 2006.
WEEKLY REPORT
Vanderbilt upset No. 12 Ole Miss 1-0 on the road Thursday to cap off the regular season.
Lydia Simmons scored the game winner in the 85th minute from 22 yards out with her left foot an on an assist from Jamie Kator. It was Simmons’ fifth goal of the season and second game winner.
Vanderbilt held Ole Miss scoreless for the first since the Rebels’ season opener. Ole Miss outshot VU 11-5, but only two of its shots were on goal. It was the sixth shutout of the season for goalkeeper Christiana Ogunsami and the Vanderbilt defense, and the fourth in SEC play – the most since 2010.
VU also defeated Ole Miss for the first time since 2009, also the last time the team won its regular season finale.
SIMMONS EARNS SEC HONORS
Midfielder Lydia Simmons was named the SEC Co-Offensive Player of the Week on Friday.
The redshirt sophomore scored the game winner in the 85th minute against No. 12 Ole Miss for a 1-0 victory on Thursday. It was her fifth goal of the season and second game winner. The midfielder from Londonderry, N.H., is tied for the team lead with five goals and also has an assist for 11 points.
Prior to this season, Simmons, who was named an SEC All-Freshman a year ago, had not scored a collegiate goal.
BIG WIN
Vanderbilt’s win over No. 8 South Carolina on Oct. 16 was an historic victory.
It marked the highest ranked opponent the program had ever beaten since the NSCAA started compiling rankings in 1996. It was also only the second time VU has beaten a Top 10 team (No. 10 Virginia, Oct. 4, 1998).
Vanderbilt is 2-2-1 against ranked foes this year with wins over No. 8 South Carolina and No. 12 Ole Miss, a tie with No. 20 Kentucky and one-goal losses to No. 5 Texas A&M and No. 9 Florida.
STINGY DEFENSE
Vanderbilt’s defense has has been the catalyst for the Commodores all season.
The 20 goals allowed is the fewest surrendered in the regular season since 2006.
Earlier this season, the Commodores went 401 minutes, spanning five games, without allowing a goal for their longest scoreless stretch since 2005. They have posted six shutouts, including four in the SEC for their most in five years.
Five of the league’s top seven scorers have failed to score against the Commodores.
On top of that, Christiana Ogunsami has played better in goal as the season has progressed. She has allowed just nine goals in the last nine games. The sophomore is tied for second in the SEC in saves (81), third in save percentage (.810), third in saves per game (4.26), tied for third in shutouts (six) and seventh in goals against average (1.00).
SIM CITY
Simone Charley continues to build on what has already been an impressive career. The 5-foot-8 junior forward from Hoover, Ala., leads active VU players with 19 career goals, including a team-high nine last year.
Her five goals this season (four game winners) are the most on the team. Against South Carolina she scored for the second time in as many games when she scored the game winner in the 97th minute. She also has a team-high four assists to lead the squad with 14 points.
In 2014, she accounted for seven of the team’s nine goals in SEC play and scored six goals in her last six games. She was named First Team All-SEC and All-South Region Second Team last year.
Charley also is a standout on the track as a three-time All-American. She placed fourth at the NCAA Indoor Championships and then reached the podium at the NCAA Outdoor Championships with a third-place finish in June. In the process, she leapt 44-3.25, breaking her own school record.
CAPTAIN CONSISTENCY
Since the start of the 2012 season, there has been one constant in the Commodores’ lineup — Erin Myers.
The senior, who has played midfield and now center back, has started every game of her career. The three-year captain has started 77 straight games.
Coach Darren Ambrose calls Myers, a native of Armonk, N.Y., the “heart and soul” of the team, and she is one of the squad’s most vocal leaders.
TASTING THE WORLD CUP
Redshirt junior Lina Granados made the 23-player roster for Colombia at the Women’s World Cup in June in Canada and traveled with the team during its four games. Colombia advanced out of pool play for the first time and fell to the United States, the eventual champ.
Granados hails from Ashburn, Va., but has dual citizenship as she was born in Bogota, Colombia. She has played for the Colombia Football Federation since she was 15, and has played in international tournaments three times. She has made her first five career starts in the last five games.
MORRISH BEGINS NURSING SCHOOL
Senior goalkeeper Shannon Morrish will be juggling not only soccer and her final year of undergraduate studies this fall but also nursing school. Morrish, a native of Bradenton, Fla., entered Vanderbilt University’s School of Nursing on Aug. 17. She is pursuing a master’s degree in adult/gerontology acute care. She’ll be a registered nurse after the first year and complete the requirements to be certified as a nurse practitioner by May 2017.
OGUNSAMI, ELLIOTT HONORED
On Oct. 12, goalkeeper Christiana Ogunsami was named the SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week. The sophomore from Cherry Hill, N.J., made 10 saves and posted two shutouts in a tie over No. 20 Kentucky and a win over Arkansas.
Forward Taylor Elliott was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 19. The fifth-year senior from Armonk, N.Y., had the game-tying goal and a game-winning assist in a win over No. 8 South Carolina in overtime. Elliott was also named to College Soccer 360’s Primetime Performers Weekly Honor Roll.
NEW FACES MAKE DEBUTS
Transfers Danae O’Halloran (North Carolina) and Kacy Scarpa (Florida State) have started 18 and 17 games, respectively.
Freshman Kelsey Carrier has played in all 18 games, and started four games. Freshman Brook Colangelo has played in five games.
Fellow freshmen Maggie Clemmons, Megan Henry and Hannah Menard have made their VU debuts but are currently sidelined due to injury. Sophomore walk-on Carley Bogan, a transfer from William & Mary, has played in six games.