Vanderbilt Soccer Falls to Texas in Nail-Biting Finish

Photo by Vanderbilt Athletics

By David Oglesby

NASHVILLE, TN — The No. 13 Vanderbilt Commodores faced a tough defeat at the hands of the Texas Longhorns on Friday night, falling 2-1 at Mike A. Myers Stadium. Despite a strong performance that included a decisive advantage in shots and corner kicks.

The match began with a scoreless first half, characterized by solid defense on both sides. However, the Longhorns (3-7-1, 1-3-0 SEC) broke the deadlock in the 67th minute when Amalia Villarreal capitalized on a pass from Ava McDonald, slotting the ball into the net to give Texas a 1-0 lead.

Vanderbilt (7-3-1, 1-2-1 SEC) quickly responded, equalizing in the 79th minute. Olivia Stafford netted her fourth goal of the season with an assist from Mary Beth McLaughlin and Courtney Jones. The Commodores seemed to have regained momentum, but the match took a dramatic turn in the dying moments.

In the 90th minute, Vanderbilt was issued a red card when their goalie fouled a Texas player in a 1 on 1 position. Moments later on a corner kick a Vanderbilt player fouled a player in the box granting Texas a penalty kick with just 10 seconds remaining on the clock. Villarreal stepped up to take the shot and converted, sealing the Longhorns' 2-1 victory.

Vanderbilt will look to bounce back as they return home to host Auburn on Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Vanderbilt Soccer Complex. The match will be broadcast on SEC Network+.

Meanwhile, in other SEC action, No. 5 Tennessee earned a narrow 1-0 victory over Texas A&M, improving their overall record to 9-1-1. Freshman Reese Mattern scored the game-winner in the 71st minute, marking her second goal of the season. The Lady Vols will face No. 17 Georgia next.