Tennessee soccer fought hard Sunday afternoon, drawing with Vanderbilt in a 1-1 at Regal Stadium. The Lady Vols (6-1-3) had a less than ideal game but were able to hang with the Commodores (5-2-4) until the final horn.
Tennessee knew what type of opponent they were facing in the Commodores: a team boasting a high-powered offense that could capitalize on their many opportunities. The Commodores entered the contest averaging 18 shots per game alongside a staggering 2.5 goals.
“We didn’t respond very well,” Tennessee head coach Joe Kirt said. “We’ve got to look at what we got wrong, but we also had some individual responsibility issues. We’ve got to look at it as a coaching staff and figure out how we can be better and help them.”
Though the Lady Vols were prepared to deal with Vanderbilt’s aggression, they simply could not stop it. The Commodores flooded the Lady Vols early in the game, notching four shots on goal in the first 12 minutes. This early challenge served as a sign of what was in store for the Lady Vols in the contest.
Goalie Ally Zazzara faced two more shots in the remaining 33 minutes, totaling six saves in the first half.
The Lady Vols, on the other hand, couldn’t seem to get things moving offensively. The lone shot of the half came from Ally Brown, who pushed a header too far left in the 39th minute.
Although it seemed like Vanderbilt had dominated the first half, the score was knotted at 0-0 after 45 minutes of play. The Commodores led the Lady Vols in almost every statistic, but most notably leading total shots 10 to one.
In the second half, the Lady Vols showed signs of life, but this didn’t last long.
A bad Mac Midgley pass went to Vanderbilt’s Sydney Watts. This set her up with an easy shot for the opening score of the game in the 56th minute.
“The goal that we gave up was pretty much entirely on me,” Midgley said. “I had a really bad pass and put our defense in a poor spot. They capitalized on it.”
The Vanderbilt score sent the Lady Vols scrambling, and they needed to make something work on offense to avoid dropping a conference game.
Midgley attempted Tennessee’s third shot of the afternoon in the 63rd minute, taking a pass from Sammi Woods inside the box. She could not convert the attempt, sending it high and leaving the score at 1-0 with Vanderbilt on top.
“I was kicking myself over that one,” Midgley said. “I was really frustrated, honestly. I think the team helps me bounce back from that because they come up to you, and they tell you to snap out of it.”
The game remained a 1-0 contest until a breakthrough for the Lady Vols as time was winding down.
In the 83rd minute, Midgley got redemption. Reese Mattern beat her defender and launched a beautiful cross into the box. The ball popped out near Midgley, and she netted her second attempt of the night to the back post, knotting the score at 1-1.
“Mac’s been really good in front of goal, and she’s done it consistently,” Kirt said. “We trust her in those situations, and she doesn’t miss twice.”
Neither team scored in the remaining seven minutes, and the Lady Vols survived despite an offensive no-show. The tie moved the Lady Vols to 1-0-2 in the division. Tennessee’s next challenge will be on Friday when they host the Missouri Tigers at home.
