Soccer beats Tennessee in OT thriller

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Molly Kinsella’s goal in the 95th minute in overtime gave Vanderbilt a 1-0 win over arch-rival Tennessee in front of a season high 1,657 fans Friday night at the VU Soccer Complex.

Her goal came off a pass from Elizabeth Lillie who pushed the ball from midfield to Kinsella 10 yards from the net. Kinsella then took the pass and fired a shot from the right side and into the left corner, past goalkeeper Molly Baird who came up trying to stop the shot.

“We’ve been working on transition all week in practice,” said Kinsella when asked to describe how the goal happened. “We came out of the back and Lillie (Elizabeth) turned and took on their defense immediately and then played it behind the last defender and I guess I chipped it over the keeper.”

The win was the second straight for the Commodores over the Lady Vols and the team’s first in Southeastern Conference action this season. VU improved to 7-3-1 overall and 1-2 in league play, while UT fell to 5-5-1 and 1-2 in conference.

“I’m thrilled with the effort the team gave tonight,” said Vanderbilt head coach Ronnie Woodard. “They worked very hard both on and off the ball and they stuck to our game plan.”

The game was full of intensity and played at a quick pace the entire night. Both teams took six shots in the first half, while the Lady Vols controlled possession for most of the second half with an 11-3 shot advantage.

Tennessee finished the game with an 18-11 shot advantage, but Vanderbilt made the most of its shots, with seven coming on goal to just five for the Lady Vols.

Rachel Bachtel recorded her third shutout of the year and the team’s fifth. She recorded five saves and now has 12 shutouts in her career, third best in school history.

Chelsea Stewart and Kinsella led VU with two shots on goal apiece, while Sarah Jackyra and Chelsea Hatcher led UT with two of their own.

The Commodores will be back in action on Sunday against Georgia at 2 p.m. at the VU Soccer Complex. The Bulldogs are 9-1-1 overall and 2-1 in SEC play after beating Kentucky 1-0 in Lexington Friday night.

“Anytime you can get a win in the SEC, it’s going to make you that much better for the next game and it raises the excitement and intensity level of your team.”