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Peabody electricity restored, Commons residents can return to dorms
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The Vanderbilt Commodores maintained their solid record (13-0-1) after defeating the Florida Gators (6-5-3) 3-0 on Thursday evening.
A record setting 1,880 spectators packed to watch the Commodores take down the Gators, breaking the previous attendance record by almost 450 people.
Head coach Darren Ambrose said he was very grateful for the record-breaking support.
“I don’t think people understand how much [them being here] means to us, to those girls,” Ambrose said. “To my staff, to our marketing person who has put in so much time and effort in and to the administration who have given us resources to promote a team that deserves to be seen.”
First half
Vanderbilt started off the game by dominating possession, keeping the ball almost entirely in the Gators half for the first 10 minutes. A few crosses were put into the Gators 18-yard box, but the Commodores were held without a shot on goal until there were 36 minutes remaining when Mia Hebert was denied from point-blank range by the Florida goalie Jayden Emmanuel.
Vanderbilt continued to pile on the pressure when Olivia Stafford won a corner kick. Vanderbilt thought they had their first goal from Margo Matula as she tapped home a loose rebound from the goalie, but it was disallowed after replay deemed Emmanuel had possession and the score remained tied.
The Gators looked rejuvenated after the no goal verdict and proceeded to take control of the game for the next six minutes, drawing multiple fouls and attacking Vanderbilt’s 18-yard box with various crosses, all of which were dealt with by the Commodores.
After a stalemate following the Gators’ run of play, the Commodores won a corner kick via Lena Tusche and had an opportunity after a smart delivery to the back post but could not capitalize and the score stayed 0-0.
After a further stalemate where neither team looked dangerous in the final third, Vanderbilt midfielder Reagan Pentz took a shot on goal that was caught by Emmanuel.
Almost immediately after, Vanderbilt thought they took the lead following a fast break where Megan Hinnenkamp received the ball and dribbled through one defender before assisting Sydney Watts who slotted the ball into the far-left corner; however the goal was disallowed for a foul in the build-up.
The Commodores finally scored the opener with 8:45 remaining in the first half when Courtney Jones scored a screamer from over 30 yards out that beat Emmanuel.
Vanderbilt did not have to wait much longer for their second goal. Just 33 seconds later, Watts buried a chance into the top corner, assisted by both Hinnenkamp and Lydia Ungashick.
The Gators advanced off the kickoff and began piling pressure. Their first shot on goal was put out for a corner and required goalie Alexa Gianoplis to make a strong save; the ball was also cleared away by the Vanderbilt defense.
The Commodores almost found their third goal of the half with four minutes to go after Watts had a header denied from point blank range after a beautiful cross from Reagan Pentz, but that goal would come very soon.
With 3:19 remaining in the first half, Vicky Pugh put another ball into the top corner from long range — just 30 seconds after coming on the field as a substitute. The Commodores would take a 3-0 lead into halftime.
Second half
The second half started off with more Vanderbilt possession, but they could not break through and add to their lead. However, with 31:26 minutes left, Vanderbilt thought they had their fourth goal after Hebert directed a header home following a beautiful cross from Jones, but Hebert was offside. The Commodores challenged the on-field ruling, but it was upheld and marked the third time Vanderbilt had a goal disallowed in the game.
With 22 minutes remaining, Florida had its first chance to score of the second half after winning its second corner kick of the game. But Gianoplus saved the header following the cross, and Vanderbilt kept the Gators off the scoreboard.
Vanderbilt recorded its first chance of the second half with 15:30 remaining when Pugh had a one-on-one chance that was stopped by Emmanuel and eventually cleared by a Gator defender. The Commodores had another chance quickly after, when Pentz sent a curling shot just wide of the far post that would have gotten past the outstretched arms of Florida’s backup goalie Paloma Peña.
“That’s the thing we all focus on . . . making sure we’re doing our best for each other and for the result,” defender Mary Beth McLaughlin said on the team’s dominant victory.
The game finished 3-0, giving Vanderbilt their sixth win a row. Vanderbilt’s last three victories have all been clean sheets.
Vanderbilt will head to Tuscaloosa Oct. 18 to play top-10-ranked Alabama in an SEC clash at 6 p.m. CDT.
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