Sept. 9, 2007
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Soccer Recap: Vanderbilt 6 Tennessee Tech 0
Post-Game Column By Will Matthews
NASHVILLE – When senior forward Sarah Dennis retrieved her own rebound and pounded her second goal of the game into the back of the net 15 minutes into the second half Sunday, it not only gave Vanderbilt a 4-0 lead but it also equaled the Commodores’ high for goals in a game from the previous season.
Dennis went on to add a third score and Vanderbilt ended up with six goals on a whopping 33 shots, a veritable offensive explosion for a Commodore team that struggled mightily at key times last year to put points on the board.
“Goal scoring is a mentality,” Head Coach Ronnie Coveleskie said. “We are more of a dangerous risk-taking team then we have been in past years and we are putting more emphasis on that. I think any time you put six goals in the back of the net, it makes a statement. I think it is a step in the right direction. Now we need to continue that.”
In the immediate wake of Vanderbilt’s disappointing first round ousters from both the SEC and NCAA tournaments last year – games in which the Commodores managed just a single goal and eventually lost in shootouts – Coveleskie committed to working to make Vanderbilt a more potent offensive threat.
And there are signs that she just might be making good on that commitment.
A freshman class ranked first in the central region and in the top-10 nationally is already reaping dividends, and while Vanderbilt entered Sunday’s game against Tennessee Tech averaging less than a goal a game, it wasn’t because of a lack of opportunities.
Including Sunday’s output, the Commodores are averaging more than 23 shots on goal per game, almost eight shots more than their average a year ago which ranked fourth in the SEC.
But while a newly aggressive style of play has been on full display during the early stages of this season, the Commodores know accumulating a high number of shots on goal is meaningless unless some of those shots find the back of the net.
The Commodores’ 21 shots yielded just one goal Friday night in a 2-1 loss at Alabama-Birmingham.
“We have definitely focused this past week in practice on attacking,” said senior midfielder Amy Baumann, the Commodores’ leading scorer from a year ago who netted Vanderbilt’s third goal Sunday in the 22nd minute of the first half. “We have struggled to score goals the past few games so this week practice has been all about attacking. Today’s game was a good chance to work on scoring goals and finishing our opportunities.”
Much of Vanderbilt’s summer practices were aimed at making Vanderbilt a more aggressive offensive unit, and Coveleskie said she has engaged her players in a variety of different intra-squad competitions with rewards for scoring goals.
“We are really trying to amp up our risk taking skills in practice,” Coveleskie said.
Vanderbilt is defending higher on the field in an effort to gain possession deeper in the opponent’s territory, and has increased its focus on transition and capitalizing on the athleticism of the players on its front line.
The Commodores’ efforts have been aided by the infusion of freshman forward Molly Kinsella, a Memphis native who leads the team in shots on goal and who opened Vanderbilt’s scoring against Tennessee Tech by scoring her first career goal in the ninth minute of the first half.
“I feel like we have more goal-scorers, natural forwards and natural attackers this year,” Baumann said. “I think we have had a lot of forwards in the past, myself included, who are natural midfielders that come and help score goals as much as possible but not necessarily goal-scorers. Molly Kinsella is what they call a natural goal-scorer. Sarah [Dennis] is a natural goal-scorer. We have more of that now I think in our freshman especially and as they continue to gain confidence that will really be a big lift for us.”
But it was Dennis who was the star Sunday, a role Coveleskie says she will increasingly need to shoulder as the freshmen develop.
“I’m happy that I was able to score goals today and show that it can happen,” said Dennis, who now has four goals on the year. “Hopefully this will just spark something in all of us. Being able to be an example is really important to me.”
