The Commodores are still #1 in both polls, but the NCAA DI Tournament Committee still has them #2 behind North Carolina, who also leads in RPI. Vanderbilt just needs to keep playing as well as they have been and things should work themselves out. Even if they fall short of a second straight #1 overall seed, the key is being one of the four #1 seeds to make sure they have hosting privileges through the quarterfinals.
Their last time out was an emphatic step towards their goals. Hosting a Texas team
mired in the middle of the SEC standings, the Commodores took the Longhorns to slaughter. The 5-0 win for Vanderbilt was never in doubt. It also clinched the SEC regular season championship.
Vanderbilt outshot Texas 9 to 3 in the first 45, and 8 of the 9 Commodore shots were on target. They put 2 of them in the back of the net. The first goal came in the 13th minute after some gritty battling by both teams. Courtney Jones put in a strong slide tackle to get the ball to Mia Hebert at the top of the Texas penalty area, but a defender intervened and sent the ball bobbling away. Unfortunately for Texas, it rolled right to Melania Fullerton who zipped the ball along the ground into the bottom left corner of the goal.
The second goal was more clinical. Courtney Jones whipped in a free kick from Vanderbilt’s left flank, almost level with the top of Texas’s penalty area. The ball was headed for the near upper corner of the 6-yard box until Lydia Ungashick rose above the crowd and powerfully headed the ball into the net.
The two-goal halftime lead would be expanded in the second half. Mia Hebert had an absolutely stunning goal where she cut in from the right edge of the penalty area and ripped a shot into the top left of the goal.
Goal four was another set piece in the 72nd minute. The corner kick came in and was bobbled around as Texas failed to clear but without Vanderbilt getting a good shot off. After about 5 deflections and mis-kicks, Margo Matula found enough balance to toe poke the ball into the net.
The final goal came shortly after when a long diagonal pass from Matula towards was Watts was treated too casually by a defender. Watts beat her to the ball and lashed it home for her 15th goal on the season and 40th as a Commodore.
With the dominance displayed, Coach Ambrose eventually got deep into the bench. He waited for after the fifth goal for most of them. Still, he was able to go through his typical rotations and substitution patterns.
Having 12 different players attempt a shot and only have 3 shots miss the target is about as efficient and clinical as you can expect a team to be. Everybody had the green light, but no one was taking silly shots that were wastes of possession.
On the other side, the only Longhorn with any threat was Ava McDonald. Having one player attempt all of your shots is never a good sign. Vanderbilt’s midfield and defenders completely choked out any attacking efforts. There is no possession data available yet again.
Today’s final match should be a much stronger test. South Carolina is tied for 2nd in the SEC standings. A 1v2 matchup with no stakes between them in the standings is a strange situation. Both teams do have a lot to play for though. South Carolina is battling to stay as the 2 or 3 seed in the SEC tournament, which would keep them on the opposite side of the bracket from Vanderbilt until the SEC Tournament finals. Vanderbilt is chasing that #1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. This match will not be a calm, get-it-over-with affair.
The Gamecocks are not the most offensively overpowering team. They sit at 6th in the SEC for goals scored in conference games at 14. The Commodores are now 1st with 26 goals scored. Both teams are defensive brick walls and share the conference lead for fewest goals conceded at 3. Allowing 3 goals in 9 matches against SEC opposition is stellar work by both squads.
The main threats to score are Sydney Middaugh and Ava Tutas. Middaugh has 5 goals on the season, and Tutas has 4. Both have 2 assists. There are also 3 players who have scored 3 times. Again, Reagan Schubach, Autumn Cayelli, and Reese Slater also have 2 assists each. The only player with more than 2 assists is Cuyler Zulauf who has 3 assists and has also scored 2 goals.
While South Carolina’s defensive work has been solid, the real key is their goalkeeper. The Gamecocks have allowed 10.5 shots per match and 3.6 shots on goal per match. Vanderbilt has allowed just 6.6 shots per match and 3.1 shots on goal per match, so South Carolina’s goal has stayed under a bit more pressure. Christina Tsaousis has a ridiculous 0.870 save percentage to hold a 0.467 goals against per 90 minutes. Tsaousis against the Vanderilt attack should be a fantastic battle. Her defenders will need to do a better job suppressing shots though. If Vanderbilt has 10+ shots today, it seems very unlikely even Tsaousis can keep them off the scoreboard.
Today’s match kicks off at noon. It is the last time to see the Commodores before they head to Pensacola for the SEC Tournament. If the rain is scaring you away from attending, the match can be streamed on SEC Network+.
