No. 10 Texas A&M too much for Commodores in 6-2 loss

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – In the week leading up to Friday’s game Vanderbilt soccer coach Derek Greene proclaimed that No. 10 Texas A&M was probably one of the best SEC teams he had seen in a long time.

The Aggies lived up to the billing on Friday.

The Commodores scored their first two goals in nearly three weeks but they weren’t enough in a 6-2 loss to Texas A&M at the VU Soccer/Lacrosse Complex.

“Once we settled down a little bit we started to play,” Vanderbilt coach Derek Greene said. “We did some great things at times in this game. But the reality is you can’t start slow and you can never play slow against a team like Texas A&M. They are fantastic. I told the team after the game, I’ve been in this league a long time, and the way they played tonight and the way I’ve seen them on video, it is one of the best teams I’ve seen in the conference – if not ever. I think they are playing great right now.”

The Aggies (11-2-1, 5-1 SEC) scored in the fourth minute. The shot barely crossed the goal line as Vanderbilt defender Andie Lakin tried to clear it out but Janae Cousineau’s rebound shot started the scoring.

Vanderbilt sophomore Simone Charley knotted the game up in the ninth minute. The forward soared a long distance shot off the top of the crossbar and in, as once again it just eclipsed the goal line. It was Charley’s fourth goal of the season and the Commodores’ first since the seventh minute (also by Charley) against Georgia on Sept. 21.

But 34 seconds later, A&M took the lead for good with another putback goal. The Aggies added another just minutes for a 3-1 lead.

The Commodores (5-8-1, 0-5-1), however, didn’t give up. Junior captain Erin Myers scored her first goal of the season to cut the lead to 3-2 in the 38th minute. Myers blasted a shot just from outside the penalty box and into the top right corner.

Out of halftime, starting in the 50th minute, the Aggies extended their one-goal lead with two goals in three minutes. Vanderbilt never recovered and suffered its fourth straight loss.

The Commodores fired 11 shots, nine coming after halftime, and redshirt freshman Lydia Simmons led the way with three shots. The team also scored its most goals since a 6-0 victory over Chattanooga on Sept. 14. Vanderbilt goalkeeper Christiana Ogunsami faced a barrage of shots and made a career-high 15 saves. Her previous high was nine. Texas A&M tied a season-high with 35 shots.

Vanderbilt will try to rebound and snap out of the losing skid when it hits the road next weekend for a pair of crucial road games with just five regular-season games left. On Friday, the Commodores head to Mississippi State and then go across the state to play rival Tennessee on Sunday.

“We got to not let this get us down,” Greene said. “This can knock us down this weekend but this can’t knock us out. We’ve got a five-game season left in front of us. We’re doing some good things so we’ll keep working hard.”