Oct. 26, 2009
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Junior goalkeeper Rachel Bachtel was named Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Week today by the league office.
Bachtel has anchored a defense that has recorded three straight shutout wins to vault the Commodores from 11th place in the SEC to eighth entering the regular season finale against Kentucky on Friday.
She made six saves in a 3-0 win over Mississippi State on Thursday and then made four saves in the team’s 1-0 win over No. 17 Ole Miss on Sunday. The victory snapped Ole Miss’ six-match unbeaten streak. Bachtel now has seven shutouts on the year and 15 for her career.
“Rachel has played a key role in the team’s recent success,” said Vanderbilt head coach Ronnie Woodard. “I am proud of her and her development and am happy to see her get recognized by the league office.”
The Dublin, Ohio, native has a 10-6-1 record in net with 74 saves and a 1.20 goals against average this year. Her total of 226 career saves is third best in school history, passing former All-American Tyler Griffin who had 224 in her three-year career at Vanderbilt.
It is the first time Bachtel has received the weekly honor from the league in her three seasons in Nashville. She is the second Commodore to receive a SEC weekly award this season, as Molly Kinsella was named Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 8.
The Commodores will close out the regular season against Kentucky on Friday at 7 p.m. at the VU Soccer Complex. Seniors Megan Forester and Lindsay Ratterman will be recognized prior to the contest in a brief ceremony. A win or tie against the Wildcats would clinch a spot in the SEC tourney next week in Orange Beach, Ala. It would be the team’s first appearance in the post-season field since the 2006 campaign.
