Oct. 5, 2016
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Vanderbilt soccer squad hits the road this Thursday, Oct. 6th as the team takes on the 11th-ranked Aransas Razorbacks. The `Dores compete against the Razorbacks at 6:00 pm CT with action found on the SEC Network.
Following Thursday night’s tilt, Vandy will be back home on Sunday the 9th, facing Kentucky in the team’s annual Breast Cancer Awareness game.
Tied with Auburn for third place in the SEC, Vanderbilt owns an 8-4-0 record and rides a four-match winning streak. Most recently, the Commodores downed in-state rival Tennessee in a 3-2 double overtime victory. For her game-winning goal against the Vols in the 102nd minute and assist, Kaylann Boyd was named the SEC’s Freshman of the Week.
This is the third consecutive week that a Commodore has earned a nod by the conference office, with Hannon Eberts (Sept. 19) and Cristina De Zeeuw (Sept. 26) also earning honors.
Heading into the road contest, the `Dores bring six multi-goal scorers to Fayetteville. Freshman Grace Jackson leads the team in points (16), goals (5), assists (6) and game-winning goals (3).
Defensively, VU has only allowed three goals in the last four games, including back-to-back shutouts over No. 14 Texas A&M and LSU. RS-Junior goalkeeper Kaitlyn Fahrner has done an outstanding job in goal this season, amassing 56 saves and an 81.2% save percentage.
Scouting the Razorbacks
Tied at No. 1 in the conference, the Razorbacks currently have a 12-1-0 record and are undefeated in SEC play. The No. 11 Razorbacks enter the weekend with a pair of Top 5 victories – No. 2 Duke and No. 4 Florida – from earlier this season on their resume. Arkansas’ lone loss of the season came at George Washington.
Freshman Kayla McKeon leads the Hogs in scoring, with seven goals and 15 points in her debut season. Senior Claire Kelly leads the conference in assists with eight to her name, which ranks sixth nationally. The Razorback defense has helped record two shutout victories this season in front of goalkeeper Cameron Carter.Carter has started every competition this season and is 12-1 with 38 saves.
Vanderbilt leads the all-time series against Arkansas, 19-9-1. The `Dores won their last competition against the Razorbacks at home last season in a 1-0 decision.
Scouting the Wildcats
Prior to playing the Commodores in a Sunday matinee, UK faces Auburn at 6:30 pm in Lexington. The Wildcats continue conference play this weekend searching for their first three points after going 4-6-1 overall and 0-4-1 in the league
Kentucky’s draw came in a 1-1 contest against Alabama. However, the Wildcats dropped two competitions in double overtime losses against then-No. 5 Florida and Ole Miss.
A scoreless draw was the result of the last meeting between UK and VU, which took place two seasons ago. A Commodore win on Sunday would level the all-time scorebook against the Cats, with Kentucky entering the game leading, 14-15-1.