Commodores take down Tigers on the road

Vanderbilt continued its great start in conference play in defeating Auburn, 3-0, on Thursday night at the Auburn Soccer Complex.

Vanderbilt continued its great start in conference play in defeating Auburn, 3-0, on Thursday night at the Auburn Soccer Complex.

AUBURN, Ala. – Vanderbilt continued its great start in conference play in defeating Auburn, 3-0, on Thursday night at the Auburn Soccer Complex.

The No. 12 Commodores (14-1-1) improved to 7-0-1 in conference play after the victory. The Dores remain in first place in the SEC with 22 points and unbeaten in their last 15 games.

“The kids just came out fighters,” head coach Darren Ambrose said. “Again, they compete and I want to give full credit to our kids. They’ve got a belief, and there were a couple of small comments at halftime on what they needed to do and they rest they did.”

The Commodores came out swinging in the second half and pushed the attack right from the start. Haley Hopkins continued to get looks on goal and eventually drew a foul in the box after a feed from Kaylann Boyd in the 52nd minute.

Grace Jackson stepped up for the Dores and delivered a strike into the net for her third goal this season. The Commodores are now 5-5 on PKs this season.

The Dores would strike again in the second half. Olivia Simmons subbed in and immediately took the ball up the right sideline and delivered a cross in the box. Caroline Saltmarsh then deflected it over to Raegan Kelley who beat an Auburn defender to send it home in the 64thminute.

It was Kelley’s second goal this season with Simmons getting her fourth assist and Saltmarsh her third.

The Commodores struck for a third time following yet another substitution. Peyton Cutshall notched her second goal of the season after attempts from Madison Elwell and Hopkins were blocked. Cutshall didn’t give up on the play, sending a rebound off the goalkeeper’s hands and into the net.

Lauren Demarchi got the start in goal for the Dores, improving to 11-0-1 on the season. She recorded four saves in the contest for her second consecutive shutout. The Commodores have now posted nine shutouts this season with four coming in conference play.

The Commodores next face Kentucky at home on Sunday, Oct. 21. This Sunday will be Senior Day, and the game can be viewed on SEC Network+.