Sept. 20, 2017
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Following their SEC opener this past Sunday, the Vanderbilt soccer team returns home this week for Thursday’s conference tilt versus Arkansas at 7 pm CT. Following the match, the Dores will go back on the road to take on Georgia Sunday at 1 pm CT. Both games will be broadcast on the SEC Network +.
Head coach Darren Ambrose discussed the team’s ability to win close games after Sunday’s match against LSU.
“Recently we came from behind (Lipscomb) in a game which was good for us,” stated Ambrose. “You can never predict how a game is going to go. Obviously if you can score early, that’s great. But if not you want to stay in the game as long as you can. That requires possession and it requires good defending and commitment to defending as a team and I think we are starting to get that now. I think there is a greater comfort zone with our younger players.”
That commitment to defending was on full display Sunday afternoon in Baton Rouge. The Commodores’ back line of Stephanie Amack, Cristina De Zeeuw, Nia Dorsey and Myra Konte played the entire game and kept the Tigers off the scoreboard. In the 86th minute, freshman Madiya Harriott broke through for the game’s lone goal and sealed the 1-0 win.
The Commodores were the only road team to win their conference opener last week and played in their sixth 1-0 game this season. The Dores are 4-2 in games where only one goal was scored.
Scouting the Razorbacks:
Arkansas enters Thursday’s match with a 6-4-0 overall record and 1-0 in SEC play. Last Friday they defeated Mississippi State in their conference opener 1-0 and won their match against Oral Roberts 3-1 on Sunday. Freshman Parker Goins was named SEC Freshman of the Week following her performance last week.
Goins leads the Razorbacks in goals (7) and points (18) this season. Stefani Doyle and Nayeli Perez share the team lead in assists with five each. The Razorbacks as a team currently lead the conference in assists per game and are second in goals per game. Jordan and Rachel Harris have both seen time in net this year. Rachel has appeared in seven games, made 14 saves and has a 3-4 record. Jordan has played in four games, made 13 saves and holds a 3-0 record.
Last season, the Razorbacks and Commodores played twice, once in Fayetteville and the other in Orange Beach Ala. Arkansas won both the home meeting 4-0 and the SEC quarterfinal match 1-0. Vanderbilt holds a 19-11-1 all-time record against Arkansas.
Scouting the Bulldogs:
Georgia holds a 4-4-1 record on the season and is 0-1 in conference play. They face off with Ole Miss in Oxford Thursday night before Sunday’s tilt with the Commodores. Last Friday, the Bulldogs dropped their SEC opener 3-1 against Missouri.
Kelsey Killean and Mollie Belisle share the team lead in goals with four on the year. Reagan Glisson has a team-high four assists this season while Killean leads the team in points with nine. The Bulldogs have used three goalkeepers this season. Louise Hogrell has appeared in team-high seven games, made 33 saves and has a 1.20 goals against average.
Vanderbilt is 10-12-1 all-time against Georgia with the Bulldogs having momentum in the series as of late. Georgia has won seven of the last nine meetings but the Commodores defeated the Bulldogs the last time these two teams met. The Commodores defeated Georgia 2-1 on Nov. 2, 2015, in the first round of the SEC Tournament.