Vanderbilt broke their streak of scoring 4 goals in a match in their first road contest of the season. They still smoothly handled the opposition as they cruised to a 3-1 victory that only had a couple bumps in the road. Notably, there was a flurry from the 78th to 83rd-ish minute where Rice had 1 corner, 2 of their 8 shots, and 2 or 3 other opportunities that were stifled by either defenders intercepting or Alexa Gianoplus dealing with a cross.
Gianoplus really solidified the decision for her to
be the starting goalkeeper moving forward. She intervened on Rice crosses and shots to prevent scoring opportunities and goals in a way that really makes a back line feel comfortable. The best comparison I can think of for how that dynamic changes when that confidence builds is when a QB trusts his offensive line. The defenders/QB stop overthinking the bad things that can happen. Everybody can be calm and assured that they are protected, so the decisions are purely about what the best option is, not whether they have time to make the decision or have to be overly safe with their decisions.
I guess Rice does not keep track of possession time. I was driving and mostly listening to the below average PxP and color commentary from the stream, so I cannot even guess at what it was either. The shots probably tell the story though. The Commodores had their two goals in the dominant first half then Rice tried to claw back into the match with increased pressure, which Vanderbilt did struggle with a handful of times. One such time resulted in a cross that no one in gold dealt with and was knocked home by Valentina Labuschagne. Pentz put the icing on the cake late.
Even in a fairly close match, 18 Commodores saw the field. Alexis Smith is really changing my mind about how effective she is as a wide midfielder. The plan may not have been for her to receive the initial pass, but the way she worked with Lena Tusche on Tusche’s goal was smooth. Tusche’s shot was a beautifully precise, curling effort that caught the inside of the back post perfectly to deflect into the net.
Sydney Watts also kept her goal streak going and is up to 4 goals in 4 games. The reigning SEC Forward of the Year is on fire and showing no signs of slowing down. Beside her, Pentz has already equaled her goals output (2) and is halfway to her 6 assists from her freshman.
The Commodores have stayed in Houston, Texas, and will face the University of Houston today at noon. The Cougars are coming off a 7-4-7 (2-4-5 Big XII) season where they did not make the conference tournament at 10th in the conference standings. Only 8 teams make their tournament.
The Cougars are off to an undefeated but far from perfect start. They started with a scoreless draw at Florida Gulf Coast before 2 home wins against Northwestern State (5-0) and Tarleton State (4-1) then had another scoreless road draw at Abilene Christian. The away struggles against really soft opposition are concerning for Houston even if they have slapped some also-weak opponents at home. Vanderbilt will certainly be their toughest opponent yet, which is not surprising as the #3 team in the country travels to the Carl Lewis International Complex.
Houston does return 24 of 35 goals (69%) and 15 of 24 assists (63%) from 2025, so their should be continuity in the attack. Samira Minor led the attack with 6 goals and 3 assists, with both leading the team. The assists total was tied with 4 other Cougars. Ava Shannon, who also scored twice, returns while Cameryn Maddow, whose 4 goals were tied for second on the team, and Kyrsten Kizer departed. The other dangerous options from a year ago are Adelhia Ghonda (4 goals and 2 assists) and Casey Maddox (3 goals and an assist).
Tennessee transfer Skyler Miller has started the season hot with 2 goals and assist. Fellow SEC transfer (Texas A&M) Bailey Cate has also augmented the attack with 2 goals. Minor has a pair of tallies already, too.
They do have to replace Alex Whitcraft who played the most minutes on the team last season in their back line. Jocelyn Chinea was 5th highest on the team in minutes and is also gone. Both goalkeepers who started matches are gone thanks to Lexi Gonzalez (11 starts) running out of eligibility and Maggie Manning (7 starts) transferring to Syracuse. Sierra McCluer has transferred in from Stephen F. Austin and started al 4 matches without allowing a goal, so that position seems to be secure.
So far, Houston has played soft opposition. They will be in for a major test today. Kickoff is at noon from the Carl Lewis International Complex in Houston. Today’s high is 95 degrees Fahrenheit, so it will be a hot one on the pitch. Vanderbilt’s depth will be called upon today. The match will be streamed on ESPN+. I will be unavailable for most, if not the entirety, of the match due to coaching duties.
