One Sydney Watts goal was not enough to win in Fayetteville.
Vanderbilt soccer dropped to 6-2-1 (0-1-1) with an agonizing loss at #10 Arkansas on Thursday. Vanderbilt had a lead through Sydney Watts late in the first half when Melania Fullerton fed a through ball between a trio of defenders for Watts to curl around the onrushing goalkeeper. The lead would hold until the 78th minute when a Zoe Susi free kick from a low angle was fired in just along the ground through a mess of bodies before finding the far side netting with a slight nick off a Commodore defender. The collapse was completed in the 87th minute when a Vailana Tu’ua cross was met by Taylor Berman cutting across Hannah McLaughlin and knocked by Sara Wojdelko from very close range.
As stated postgame, a 2-1 road loss at the #10 team in the country would generally be viewed as a positive result. However, when you have a lead and are a team that has only conceded twice all season, giving up 2 goals in 12 minutes is a painful reminder of a lead’s fragility. The Commodores were also rather wasteful in front of goal, which has not been a problem often for a team that is average 2.2 goals per game from 9.0 shots on goal per game, with the shots on goal average tied for best among SEC teams. They are only 4th in the SEC in shot attempts (17.78) per game, so the Commodores do an excellent job of putting their shots on target with efficiency and are scoring on every 4.1 shots on goal.
With the above rates, Vanderbilt should have scored 2 or 3 times. Having watched the match, there were 3 or 4 really good opportunities that should have found the back of the net. Unlike other matches where the opposing goalkeeper left them in awe, it was their own poor finishing that let the opponent off the hook. Until it becomes a trend, it is just one poor match against a good opponent.
Sydney Watts did score once, but she also missed a – by her standards – easy header in the 72nd minute that would have made it 2-0 and might have prevented Arkansas from ever getting into the match as the pressure on them built. Olivia Stafford also spurned a number of very good chances with shots weakly struck into the grasp of Arkansas’s goalkeepers, who were swapped at halftime for some unknown reason.
Vanderbilt needs to be better in front of goal today back at home with a very stingy #24 Oklahoma team coming to West End. They are allowing only 5.7 shot attempts per game. For comparison, Vanderbilt has allowed 7.3 shot attempts per game. The forecast also looks like it could create a sloppy contest with rain starting just before kickoff and likely to fall through the entirety of the match.
The Sooners are 8-1-1 (1-1-0) on the season, but their only notable out of conference opponent was #22 Oklahoma State, who they did beat 4-1 in Norman. In SEC play, the Sooners dropped their opener 2-1 at the Kentucky Wildcats. Thursday, they flipped the scoreline for a 2-1 at home.
The Sooners have a very dangerous platoon of forwards. Naomi Clark leads the team with 7 goals in only 9 matches. She also has assisted 3 other goals. Kayla Keefer tied for second in goals with 4 but has teed up teammates for 8 tallies. Lexi Dendis and Hadley Murrell have both added 3 goals and 4 assists thus far.
Midfielders Juliette Rayo and Alexis Washington are also helping the attack. Rayo is tied with Keefer on 4 goals and has 1 assist. Washington has not scored but has setup teammates 4 times.
The stellar Sooners’ defense is anchored by senior Riley Brown and freshman Ally Laccinole. The pair are the only 2 field players with more than 750 minutes played on the season. Oklahoma’s dominance has allowed them to rotate and substitute so much that piecing together their most common lineups can be a problem. I also suspect that a couple players are labeled as positions they are not playing most often.
In goal, Caroline Duffy has been excellent. She has allowed 7 goals in 868 minutes of play and has made 22 saves. The 0.73 GAA and 0.759 SV% are both indicative of a very capable goalkeeper, especially when she is not facing a high volume of shots.
The Commodores need to bounce back to get a positive result in SEC play. The scoreless draw hosting LSU then the heartbreak at Arkansas have them behind the 8-ball. In a very competitive league, they need to get back on the front foot and build some momentum for the SEC tournament and, expectedly, the NCAA tournament. This afternoon’s match, as noted, will be a test against the elements and their opponent. Kickoff is at 12 PM Central, and the match will be streamed on SEC Network+.
Category: General Sports
