OXFORD, Miss. — Freshman Kate Goldin’s goal in the 71st minute propelled Vanderbilt to a 1-0 win over No. 17 Mississippi at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium Sunday afternoon.
The Commodores continued their late push towards qualifying for the Southeastern Conference tournament with their third straight shutout win. VU is now 10-7-1 overall and 4-6 in SEC play and in eighth place in the league standings.
Either a win or tie at home against Kentucky on Friday will clinch a spot at next week’s eight team tournament in Orange Beach, Ala. Alabama needs to win its final two games against Auburn and Ole Miss next weekend to pass the Commodores into eighth place. A loss or tie in either game will end the Crimson Tide’s postseason chances.
“Getting our tenth win was an important goal we had and getting another conference wins puts us one step closer to another goal of getting to Orange Beach,” said Vanderbilt head coach Ronnie Woodard. “It was also another road win and that was something we had struggled with this year.”
Goldin, inserted into the starting lineup against Alabama last Sunday, has started the last three games in the Commodores winning streak. After VU popped a high ball into the box, Ole Miss goalkeeper Alley Ronaldi came off her line to punch it away, and fell to the ground in the scrum. Chelsea Stewart came up with the loose ball, which she struck toward Goldin, who flicked it into the net from about eight yards at the 71:11 minute mark.
“Kate has really come on at the end of the year,” said Woodard. “She has had a challenging start to her college career with a knee injury that kept her out last season. Kate is peaking at the right time, is a good 1v1 defender and is aggressive in the box.”
Ole Miss finished with a decided 17-7 shot advantage, but was held at bay by Commodore keeper Rachel Bachtel who notched her third consecutive solo shutout and her sixth shutout of the year. She had four saves in the game and has 10 stops in the last three contests.
Goldin had both of the team’s shot on goals, while Stewart notched her first assist of the year.
Midfielder Taylor Cunningham led the Rebels with five shots on goal, but the Rebels failed to convert on 13 total shots on goal. The loss snapped a six-game unbeaten streak for Ole Miss dating back to a 1-0 loss to South Carolina on October 2.
The Commodores will close out the regular season against Kentucky on Friday at 7 p.m. at the VU Soccer Complex. Two seniors, Megan Forester and Lindsay Ratterman, will be recognized in Senior Night activities prior to the game.
“We proved we could win to ourselves which is important from a confidence standpoint,” said Woodard. “Ole Miss is a very good team and we fought as hard as we could and I am proud of the girls effort today.”
