Oct. 2, 2008
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. â€â€ÂVanderbilt soccer will be back in action this weekend as No. 15 Florida and No. 24 South Carolina come to town in Southeastern Conference action.
VU will face the Gators (7-2-1, 2-0-0 SEC) on Friday at 7 p.m. and the Gamecocks (7-1-3, 1-0-1 SEC) on Sunday at 2 p.m.
The Commodores (6-3-2, 0-2-0) will look to rebound from a tough conference opening weekend with close losses to Alabama and Auburn. After falling 2-0 to the Crimson Tide in the opener last Friday, Katie Schulz scored both Vanderbilt goals in the 3-2 loss to the Tigers last Sunday. VU outshot both teams by a combined average of 32.5 to 9.5 shots per game.
Florida is ranked No. 15 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America’s national poll and are No. 4 in its Southeast region poll. The Gators bring a three game winning streak into Friday’s match, having defeated Georgia, 2-1 in overtime, and Tennessee, 5-1, in Gainesville last weekend. They lead the SEC East standings with a 2-0 record. Senior forward Megan Kerns is the top goal scorer with five on the year, while senior midfielder Ameera Abdullah leads the team in assists with four. Sophomores Meghan Berlingo and Katie Fraine have split goalkeeper duties posting 0.79 and 0.95 goals against averages respectively.
The Gators hold a 16-2-1 all-time series lead with the Commodores last win coming in the 1997 campaign.
South Carolina is ranked 24th nationally by the NSCAA and No. 6 in the Southeast region. The Gamecocks defeated Tennessee 2-1 last Friday and tied Georgia 1-1 on Sunday to open league play. SC is led in scoring by freshman Kayla Grimsley who has four goals and three assists on the year. Sophomore Mollie Patton has recorded five shutouts in 11 games and sports a 0.61 goals against average.
Vanderbilt holds a 12-1-2 all-time series lead over the Gamecocks, with SC’s lone win coming in the 1999 season. Since that time VU has gone 8-0-2 in the series.
Prior to Sunday’s game, the Commodores will hold their Senior Day activities and recognize Taylor Ryer, Katie Schulz and Amy Wilcox for their accomplishments on and off the field. The contest will end a season long five game homestand as Vanderbilt will play six of its final regular season games on the road.