NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A slight delay couldn’t slow down the Vanderbilt soccer team’s winning streak.
Thanks to an early second-half goal by Simone Charley the Commodores picked up a 2-1 victory over Mississippi State on Friday night for their third straight win and fourth in five games. Vanderbilt also won its SEC opener for the first time since 2005.
The start of game was delayed by 20 minutes due to a bank of lights at the VU Soccer/Lacrosse Complex that malfunctioned after heavy storms swept through the area earlier in the afternoon. But Vanderbilt (4-3, 1-0 SEC) shook off the delay to match its longest winning streak in four years.
Sophomore midfielder Lydia Simmons scored her second goal of the season just four minutes in. Simmons smashed a shot from the top right wing just outside of the box over goalkeeper Tanya de Souza and into the top center of the net. Mississippi State (1-5-1, 0-1) responded just four minutes later when Kiley Martens followed up on shot that Vanderbilt goalkeeper Christiana Ogunsami intially saved. Martens knocked the ball away from Ogunsami and tapped in the rebound to tie the game 1-1 in the eighth minute.
The Commodores had chances to pull ahead with 12 shots in the first half, including nine on goal. But de Souza was spectacular in goal for the Bulldogs, posting eight of her 10 saves before halftime.
In the 47th minute, though, shortly after halftime, Charley scored her team-leading third goal of the season that would stand up as the game-winner. Senior Jamie Kator, who just a minute before had two cracks at the goal on a penalty kick, sent in a cross to Charley just inside the box. The All-SEC forward drove the ball off one bounce with her left foot and into the top right corner of the net for her 17th career goal.
Mississippi State had 18 shots but only five were on goal. Ogunsami made four saves and the Vanderbilt defense continued its stellar play, allowing just one goal in the last 323 minutes.
Vanderbilt wraps up a four-game homestand at 1 p.m. on Sunday by stepping out of SEC play to host non-conference foe High Point.
