FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Arkansas scored two goals in the first half en route to a 2-1 win over Vanderbilt Sunday afternoon at Razorback Field.
The win was the first for the Razorbacks in the series since the 2004 season as they improved to 11-5-0 and 4-4-0 in Southeastern Conference play. The Commodores dropped their second straight game to fall to 8-7-1 overall and 2-6-0 in league action.
“This loss and our effort today was inexcusable,” said Vanderbilt head coach Ronnie Coveleskie. “The way that we approached this match was lackadaisical, and after Arkansas put two on the board early I thought we panicked. When you are down 2-0 at halftime you are at a complete disadvantage and have to become the aggressor when the opponent can sit back and fight to preserve the win, and give credit to Arkansas for being able to do that.”
Sophie Wentz connected from two yards out on the Razorbacks first goal of the afternoon at the 7:47 mark. Abbey Wilburn took a shot from 10 yards out that VU goalkeeper Rachel Bachtel made a diving save of, but she could not hold onto the ball allowing Wentz to kick in.
Kim Schleif made it 2-0 Arkansas at the 23:01 mark when she scored from 13 yards out on the right side. She took a long pass from Lindsay Patterson and beat Bachtel to the ball and kicked it in to the corner of the net.
Candace West had the Commodores lone shot on goal in the first half, a shot from nine yards out that Britni Williams snagged in the air.
Lyndsey Wilcox connected on her first career goal with 25 minutes left in the game to cut the lead to 2-1. Megan Kinsella fired a shot from the right side that went through Razorback keeper Britni Williams hands and right to a charging Wilcox who scored from three yards out into the empty net.
“Lyndsey has really come on as the season has progressed,” Coveleskie said. “She had a good game against LSU on Friday and that’s why we felt comfortable putting her into a big situation like today. She stepped up to the challenge and provided us with a goal that was much needed and put us within reach.”
Vanderbilt could not get any closer and finished with a 9-7 shot advantage for the game. West led the Commodores with two shots, while seven other players had a shot apiece.
VU finishes its four game road trip with a 1-3 record. The Commodores will close out their regular season home campaign against Ole Miss on Thursday at 7 p.m. at the VU Soccer Complex. After that contest, Vanderbilt will play its final two contests on the road against Mississippi State on Oct. 26 and at Kentucky on Oct. 31.
“We’ve put ourselves in a big hole with three games left to play,” Coveleskie said about the team’s SEC tournament chances. “We will have to fight and battle our way to wins over the next three games. We have a tough road ahead of us.”
