Soccer Blanks Arkansas 2-0

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Molly Kinsella and Amy Wilcox both scored goals in leading Vanderbilt to a 2-0 win over Arkansas Sunday afternoon at the VU Soccer Complex.

The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Commodores (5-8-2, 2-4-1 SEC) and it was the first Southeastern Conference home win of the year.

The Lady Backs fell to 8-8-1 overall and 1-6-1 in conference play.

“With our backs up against the wall today, I thought our result was good,” said Vanderbilt head coach Ronnie Coveleskie. “I was very proud of their effort after a tough match against LSU on Friday, they bounced back and showed up to play in the first half.”

The Commodores dominated the game throughout holding a 23-12 shot advantage, including a 12-3 shot on goal advantage.

Kinsella scored her team leading sixth goal of the season at the 18:14 mark, taking an assist from Amy Baumann and scoring to the left side of the post past the goalkeeper from five yards out.

Wilcox added her fourth goal of the season a little over five minutes later, taking a shot wide that the keeper deflected and went in to make it 2-0.

“Molly is such a dynamic attacking forward and she had so many good lucks on frame today,” said Coveleskie. “It also was a great individual effort by Amy Wilcox, she just fought and fought, until she put the ball in the back of the net. We love those kinds of goals because they are the kind you can’t teach.”

That was all VU’s defense needed as goalkeeper Rachel Bachtel recorded three saves in the team’s sixth shutout of the year.

The Commodores closed out a four-game homestand with the win and will take on Ole Miss in Oxford at 7 p.m. on Thursday, before coming back home on Sunday to take on Mississippi State at 2 p.m.

“We had a good training session yesterday and we are really working on our mentality at this point in the season,” summed up Coveleskie. “We feel like we are playing better soccer than we did in September and building on that is really, really important. Our backs are against the wall and everything has to be all out, because our goal is to get to Orange Beach.”