CINCINNATI, Ohio – Allowing a second-half goal and failing to score doomed the Vanderbilt soccer team for the second straight game.
The Commodores surrendered a goal in the 67th minute that proved to be the difference in a 1-0 loss to Cincinnati on Sunday afternoon at Gettler Stadium.
Vanderbilt (0-2) mustered just three shots for the game. The Bearcats (1-1) started off slow, too, with just two shots in the first half. But they become more aggressive in the second half, firing off 12 shots.
“I don’t think we showed enough heart and I don’t think we showed enough fight,” Vanderbilt coach Darren Ambrose said. “If that is the defining character of this team, we’ve got a long way to go. We have to be better in certain aspects of the game. But the bottom line is you’ve got to want to win more than the other team. Today, Cincinnati, to their credit, wanted to win more than we did.”
Similar to the goal allowed in a 1-0 loss to Miami-Ohio on Friday, Vanderbilt gave up a score on a ball that was sent into Jaycie Brown, who got ahead of the defense. Brown slotted it past Vanderbilt goalkeeper Christiana Ogunsami – who had five saves – and into the bottom right corner.
“(Cincinnati) took advantage of a loose ball, which is exactly how Miami-Ohio scored,” Ambrose said. “It is a carbon copy of the goal we gave up (against Miami-Ohio).”
Senior Taylor Elliott had the team’s best look in the first half. She settled the ball after heading it and tried to slip a shot past Cincinnati goalkeeper Sam Pavilka but a defender was there at the line to knock it away. Later in the half, redshirt sophomore Lydia Simmons fired in a free kick from 25 yards out that Pavilka had to jump and swat away. The final shot was again well outside the penalty box shortly after Cincinnati scored, but Simone Charley’s attempt was blocked.
Vanderbilt will try to bounce back with two road tests in the Pacific Northwest. The Commodores play Gonzaga in Spokane, Wash., on Friday, followed by a matchup against Seattle University on Sunday.
