Soccer plays to 4-4 draw despite Williams' hat-trick

MADISON, Wisc. – The Vanderbilt women’s soccer team saw a three-goal halftime lead disappear as the `Dores and Milwaukee battled to a 4-4 draw at the McClimon Complex on Sunday afternoon.

“This was a disappointing result for us,” said Vandy head coach Derek Greene. “We need to be able to hold a 3-0 lead. We took our foot off the gas and let opportunities by, we could have put this game out of reach. Give Milwaukee credit though, when we let up, they capitalized on their opportunities.”

Cheyna Williams continued her outstanding play this weekend picking up the hat trick against Milwaukee, bringing her weekend goal total to five.

The Commodores (2-2-2) came out of the gate on fire scoring two goals in the first seven minutes of play. The scoring started when Simone Charley found Williams cutting across the back line, who then beat the keeper one-on-one.

The scoring Vandy scoring continued when Sasha Gray used a nice spin move to beat the Milwaukee keeper from 15 yards out.

In the 29th minute of play Jamie Kator found a gap in the back line and sent a great through-ball off the outside of her right foot to Williams on the breakaway for her second of the game.

Vanderbilt held a 3-0 lead coming out of the half until Milwaukee’s Krissy Dorre went off for three goals of her own in the second half.

Dorre would score her first of the game in the 47th minute off a blocked shot by Melanie Coderre.

The Commodores would answer in the 56th minute when Kator found Williams again who finished, upper-90, from 12 yards out.

Dorre went on for two more, one from 30 yards out and her third and final goal coming off a free kick by Kelsey Holbert, in which Dorre headed it past the goalie.

Milwaukee scored the equalizer in the 82nd minute on a Kelly Lewers goal from 25 yards out.

Vanderbilt had two opportunities to put the game away, one late in regulation when Williams sent a rocket over the keeper and off the crossbar. The next chance came two minutes into the first overtime when Williams took a shot on the breakaway, but the Milwaukee keeper made a great save to preserve the game.

The final 20 minutes of play were dead even, as neither team could put the ball in the back of the net for the game-winner. Milwaukee out-shot Vandy in the two overtime periods 4-3, and didn’t allow a single shot in the final 10 minutes.

“Both teams fought hard in the final 20 minutes,” said Greene. “We are a young team and we probably shouldn’t have let the game get into overtime in the first place. We haven’t played with many 3-0 leads, so this will be a good opportunity for us to learn so that we are ready when conference-play starts.”

Vanderbilt will play its final two non-conference games next weekend, starting with a trip to Homewood, Ala., on Friday September 13 to take on Samford. Then it is back to the VU Soccer Complex on Sunday for a match with Georgia State.