The undefeated Commodores kept their winning stream alive at 5 with a 1-0 win at Missouri. It was not their most impressive performance by any measure. They got a brilliant goal in the 16th minute from freshman Mia Hebert. She received a pass from Olivia Stafford at the right edge of the penalty area about 12 yards from the end line then cut inside and slightly backwards then unleashed a left-footed strike that left the goalkeeper diving at air as it land in the backside side netting.
That was the
extent of the scoring. Sydney Watts had a really good chance that was saved to Megan Hinnenkamp’s feet. Hinnenkamp disappointingly sent the shot sailing over the crossbar. Missouri did have some moments that nearly evened the score. Alexa Gianoplus did her job in goal though.
The game was mostly kept in midfield. Vanderbilt was the team more in control, but it was not what one would expect from the #1 team at a 3-7-2 opponent who was winless through 5 conference games. Surviving with a win was good result.
For only the second time this year, Watts was kept off the board, but she did have an assist. The growth of Hebert has been a huge boost both to this season and the future. She has 4 goals and 2 assists in 6 games played with 3 of them being starts.
The spread of Commodores who attempted shots is good to see as always. Stafford in particular could have taken 2 or 3 more shots, but she was trying to be extremely unselfish. Maybe overly so.
Ally Bollig also got back into the action. She had missed the Kentucky match after playing against Ole Miss and Tennessee. Prior to Ole Miss, Bollig had missed 6 matches with her last action being August 21st against Memphis.
Tonight starts the run in to the end of the regular season in earnest. Vanderbilt hosts Florida then travels to Tuscaloosa this Sudany for Alabama then plays Texas and South Carolina on one-match home weekends. Currently, Vanderbilt is in a tie with South Carolina at the top of the SEC’s conference standings with identical 5-0-1 (W-L-D) records for 16 points against SEC opponents. Alabama is one point back at 5-1-0. Auburn is in 4th on 12 points followed by Mississippi State and Kentucky at 10 points each. Texas and Florida are in a tie for 10th with 8 points from matching 2-2-2 SEC records.
Florida is 6-4-3 (2-2-2) on the season. They opened with an in-state loss at UCF (3-4) then came home for wins over Coastal Carolina (3-2), Florida State (3-1), and Jacksonville (6-0). They managed a 1-1 draw in Boca Raton at Florida Atlantic before going right back to Gainesville for a 2-0 win over Youngstown State. The Gators finally lost in Gainesville when Wake Forest pulled out a 2-1 result.
SEC play started with a 1-0 road loss at South Carolina for drawing 2-2 in Starkville. Florida tied 1-1 at home against Texas before finally getting a conference win in a 5-2 match at Texas A&M. LSU got a 2-1 win in Gainesville to stop any momentum. The Gators did get a shock victory over then #4 Alabama who dropped to #11 and lost their grip on the top of the SEC standings.
The danger with Florida comes mainly from 2 players. Kyra Taylor and Zoe Main. Taylor has 7 goals and 3 assists while Main has 5 goals and 5 assists. The pair have tallied 12 of the 29 Gator goals this season. Lena Bailey and Katie Johnston each have a trio of goals, too, so they could certainly pop onto the scoresheet. Bailey also has 3 assists. Johnston has 1. Of course, only Taylor (3) and Main (2) have multiple goals in the 6 matches played against SEC opposition.
On the back end, Jayden Emmanuel will be the last line of defense against Watts, Hebert, and the rest of the Commodore attack. Paloma Peña started the first two matches of the season but was replaced by Emmanuel after allowing 6 goals in 135 minutes while only making 1 save. Emmanuel has played all but 4 minutes since then. She has allowed 12 goals while making 27 saves for a 0.692 save percentage with the Gators’ shot suppression still earning her a 1.05 goals allowed per 90 minutes.
To that end, opponents are only firing off 7.7 shots per game with only 3.5 shots being on target per match. They are nearly as stingy as Vanderbilt’s defense who have held opponents to 6.5 shots per game and 3.2 shots on target per match. Vanderbilt’s attack will likely be the strongest Florida has faced. The Commodores are shooting 17.3 times per match and putting 8.6 shots on target per match. That is more shots on goal than Florida is allowing shot attempts. After a slightly muted showing against Missouri, it will be imperative for the Vanderbilt attack to get back on track tonight.
Tonight’s kickoff is scheduled for 6 PM Central on West End. It is $1 ticket night ($1.97 after fees and taxes), so if you want to make a last minute decision to attend then you can do so cheaply. If not, the match will be streamed on SEC Network+. Florida will be riding high off the win over Alabama. Vanderbilt should be looking to put the Missouri performance behind them. It is an interesting matchup that the Commodores need to win to stay in the hunt for the SEC regular season title.
