After giving up an early goal, Auburn couldn’t find a way to even it up, losing 1-0 at Vanderbilt and falling to 5-4-3 (1-2-2 in SEC play).
Vanderbilt got off to an extremely fast start offensively; Sydney Watts scored the lone goal of the game just before the 13 minute mark. A cross came in and she tapped it right past the keeper. They would continue this success with a dominant first half.
The Commodores had nine shots in the first half compared to Auburns’ two shots. They also won three corner kicks, while Auburn had zero.
The second half was a different story. Auburn had chance after chance to knot the game at 1-1 but struggled to find the back of the net. Auburn totaled eight shots in the second half and five on goal compared to Vandy’s two shots. The Tigers also had four corner kicks in the second half but found themselves unable to capitalize.
“We came out fighting in the second half. I don’t think we did that in the first half,” said head coach James Armstrong. “We’ll take a look at the film and analyze what the difference was. We’ve got no choice but to learn from and get prepared for another really good opponent Sunday.”
Auburn’s goalkeeper, Ayana Yapo, was excellent in this matchup, with multiple saves in the game. Vanderbilt’s goalie, Alexa Gianopolus was incredible, tallying five saves alone in just the second half.
Next, Auburn faces off against No.10 South Carolina on Sunday, October 5th at 2 p.m. CDT at the Auburn Soccer Complex. The game will be available to stream on SECN+.
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