SOCCER PREVIEW AND GAMETHREAD: MTSU

On Thursday, Vanderbilt failed to win at home for the first time on the season. The 3-game winning streak was broken by a goalless draw with the Kansas Jayhawks. The Commodores are still unbeaten on the season with a 3-0-2 record. They have 2 more out of conference contests, both at home, before they start SEC play at Auburn. The first is today at 6 PM against MTSU.

Last time out, Vanderbilt struggled with Kansas’s pressure. The Jayhawks kept the Commodores from playing through the three central midfielders in their 3-5-2 for almost the entire match. Keeping the ball off the feet of Abi Brighton and Courtney Jones is a winning strategy for opposing teams.

The disruptive pressing forced the Commodores wide and kept them there. The possession percentage seems too high, which is probably indicative of how unimpactful the Dores were while on the ball. They only managed 7 shots to Kansas’s 13 but did have a 3-2 advantage in shots on goal thanks to a handful of golden opportunities for the visitors that they skewed wide of the goal.

Lexi may have outplayed Sydney in the Battle of the Watts. She created 3 of Kansas’s most dangerous opportunities, but they had nothing to show for it. I missed it against Columbia, but Addie Porter has now not played in 2 straight matches. Her aggression and athleticism would have helped break down the pressing Kansas used. Other than that, everyone’s usage fits expectations. Ella Eggleston did get to play both as a CAM and as a ST on Thursday. I do not think she was used as a wide midfielder any. Her versatility may get her starter’s minutes without starting as she shifts around during substitutions.

The extremely short bench usage was surprising. I think the depth of this team has been a strength. The rotation can keep the eleven on the field fresher and give chances to dissect the opposing tactics. Considering how much Kansas’s tactics were befuddling Vanderbilt, that might have been smart.

The competition takes a dip with Middle Tennessee coming up from Murfreesboro. The Dores beat MTSU 6-0 in a match played at GEODIS Park last season. The goal scorers were Rachel Deresky (2), Caroline Betts, Courtney Jones, and Mia Castillo with another goal credited to the TEAM for an MTSU own goal. Vanderbilt had a 12 to 2 shot advantage.

The Blue Raiders are 3-3 with wins over Tennessee Tech, Bellarmine, and Alabama A&M (in Huntsville). The losses are to Belmont, Louisiana (in Lafayette), and North Alabama. They have outscored opponents a total of 17 to 13 with a total shot attempts advantage of 86-65. The most dangerous Blue Raiders have been Manon Lebargy (5G 1A), Emma Petterson (3G 3A), Lauren Spaanstra (3A) and Sadie Sterbenz (3A). They have been backstopped in all 6 matches by Demi Gronauer who has made 27 saves and a 0.675 save percentage.

MTSU is coming off a 6-9-3 (2-5-1) season. They do return 20 of their 31 goals and 16 of 28 assists from a season ago. Lebargy was the leading scorer with 8 goals while Spaanstra was the top assister at 5. Having both of them back would seem like a strong starting point for the attack and has seen the goals per game jump from 1.72 to 2.83. Granted, they have not gotten into the conference schedule yet and have played a very soft non-conference schedule to this point.

Tonight’s match is Vanderbilt’s Senior Night. I have seen a few teams this season who decided to make an earlier match Senior Night. My guess is the programs wanted to be able to start and play their senior’s longer for these matches, so they stopped doing it against conference opponents and chose weaker out of conference opposition. I like the concept.

Kickoff is at 6 PM from the Vanderbilt Lacrosse/Soccer Complex. Senior recognition will be before kickoff with Carolina Betts, Mia Castillo, Rachel Deresky, Jada Konte, Addie Porter, Sara Wojdelko, and Francesca Yanchuk all being honored. Interestingly, Betts is only in her third year, so she might be graduating early. I would not read into who will return next season from them being honored tonight, either. Wojdelko has a year of eligibility left after not playing as a freshman in 2021. Konte and Yanchuk have not appeared in a match this season. The match will be streamed on SEC Network+.

2024-09-08T22:12:11Z dg43tfdfdgfd