Nov. 4, 2015
ORANGE BEACH, Ala. – In order to extend its season, the Vanderbilt soccer team must knock off the best team in the league.
That is the challenge that awaits the Commodores when they play fifth-ranked Florida at 5 p.m. on Wednesday in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament at the Orange Beach Sportsplex. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network. The Gators (14-3-1) enter as the No. 1 seed after winning six straight to capture its 14th SEC regular-season championship.
“Look, they’re good. They won the league,” Vanderbilt coach Darren Ambrose said Monday night. “But if you want to be anything in women’s soccer in this country, you’ve got to play against the best teams. We played them well early in the year. We know we’re going to have to play our best. There is no question we have to play our best.”
No. 8 seed Vanderbilt (9-7-4) is coming off a 2-1 victory over Georgia on Monday night for its first SEC Tournament victory in 10 years. As the top seed, Florida received a bye and hasn’t played since defeating Georgia in the regular-season finale last Thursday.
The teams met earlier this season on Sept. 25 in Nashville with then-No. 9 Florida picking up a 3-2 victory. The Commodores scored two goals in a span of two minutes to take a 2-1 lead in the first half and were tied 2-2 at halftime before Florida scored the game winner in the 56th minute.
Vanderbilt went on a five-game unbeaten streak after the loss and is 4-2-3 since playing Florida.
“Obviously, playing a game after this game is tough,” Ambrose said after playing Georgia Monday. “We will adjust as we have done all year. We’ll change and adjust our system to the state of our players and we’ll find a way to compete. We know we have enough quality in us to find a goal. We found two against them earlier this year and our defending has been good. I think the balance of the game is going to be very interesting for us.”
BACK TO THE BEACH
Vanderbilt is back in the SEC Tournament for the first time since 2010. None of the current players or coaches were on the team the last time VU made it.
The ‘Dores clinched a spot on the final day of the regular season Thursday with a 1-0 upset of No. 12 Ole Miss on the road as Lydia Simmons scored the game winner.
Vanderbilt picked up its first SEC Tournament win since 2005 on Monday night with a 2-1 victory over Georgia. Simone Charley and Taylor Elliott scored to stake a 2-0 lead, and the defense held on for the final 10 minutes after UGA scored in the 80th minute.
VU is 13-10-3 all-time in the SEC Tournament, winning the championship twice.
SCOUTING THE COMPETITION
Vanderbilt plays No. 5 Florida, the top seed, in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament on Wednesday.
The teams met on Sept. 25 in Nashville, with the Gators picking up a 3-2 victory. VU scored two goals in a span of two minutes in the first half to take a 2-1 lead and the game was tied at halftime. UF scored in the 56th minute, though, to pull out the win.
Florida (14-3-1, 8-2-1) has won six straight as it captured its 14th SEC regular-season crown. The Gators possess a high-scoring attack led by Savannah Jordan (19 goals), Brooke Sharp (10 goals) and Christen Westphal (10 assists).
Florida is 24-2-1 in the series and has won 10 straight. The ‘Dores last defeated the Gators in 1997. UF is 6-0 against Vandy in SEC Tournament play.
WEEKLY REPORT
Vanderbilt defeated Georgia 2-1 in the opening round of the SEC Tournament on Monday for its first tournament since 2005.
Simone Charley scored a breakaway goal in the 39th minute on an assist from Kacy Scarpa. Senior Taylor Elliott then notched the first game-winning goal of her career when she headed in her fourth goal of the season. Kelsey Tillman’s cross in the 69th minute set up the goal.
Georgia scored in the 80th minute but the VU defense allowed just one shot the last 10 minutes. It was Vanderbilt’s first win over Georgia since 2006.
