<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=00kEwp_0vl94rd700" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=00kEwp_0vl94rd700" width="1210" height="806" ></figure>The Georgia Bulldogs handed the Vanderbilt Commodores their first lost of the soccer season. It was a 1-0 result where Georgia got a goal early then held on for dear life. Vanderbilt controlled the match flow and felt like they were going to equalize eventually but never did.<img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3G5mQb_0vl94rd700" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3G5mQb_0vl94rd700" width="1615" height="452" >Looking at the stats alone, I would have the team with 18 shots winning in a 2-0, 2-1, or 1-0 game. Okay, that would require ignoring the “saves” stat since it would tell me the exact score, but you get the point. Leading shots 18 to 10, shots on goal 9 to 5, and corners 12 to 6 is a recipe for success. The part of the story these stats do not tell are the number of crosses Vanderbilt put in that were too close to Georgia’s goalkeeper. The number of good opportunities to setup a teammate that were wasted was the frustration of the match, but they still generated plenty of opportunities to level the score and failed to convert them.<img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3sd9En_0vl94rd700" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3sd9En_0vl94rd700" width="1202" height="776" >The stark difference in substitutes used stands out. The Commodores have decent depth with the starting eleven followed by 7 solid (or better) bench options, including a backup goalkeeper who had started every game to this point in the season. Elllie Fife and Ava Slay would be good options if the end of a match required holding a lead, too. They can both be effective wide midfielders while offering more defensively.There is one frequent sub who is getting too much time, though, and she squandered a handful of attacking moments either through poor touches or not finding the pass or run that could have unlocked the defense. It may be another Tina Bruni situation where Coach Ambrose sees something that just never materializes in game action. In this case, I can clearly see where she might be effective, but she also does enough wrong to keep that from coming to fruition.Vanderbilt wants to avoid having their second loss on the heels of the first, but they also have their strongest opponent of the season coming to Nashville tonight. The Arkansas Razorbacks are ranked either #1 or #2 depending on the poll. This is the first time the Razorbacks have been ranked #1 by TopDrawerSoccer. They earned that ranking by being 7-0-1 (2-0-0). The draw was at #8 Michigan State while they have outscored everyone else 42 to 5. They opened SEC play by beating LSU 1-0 and Missouri 8-2. The trip to Vanderbilt is their first SEC road match.Arkansas has a quartet of attackers leading the way. Kate Doyle has scored 8 times and added 3 assists. Ava Tankersley scores and creates for teammates equally well with 7 goals and 6 assists. Anaiyah Robinson is another threat to nets everywhere with 6 tallies and a single helper. The other playmaker extraordinaire is Bella Field with 4 scores and 6 assists. These 4 are the main guns for the Razorback attack, but they are far from the only weapons.Makenzie Malham also has 4 goals and an assist while Zoe Susi flips that around with 4 assists and 2 goals. Not to be ignored are Kelsey Oyler and Lily Boydstun who have not put the ball into the net yet but have 5 and 4 assists, respectively. Beyond the 8 players already listed, 8 more Hogs have been involved in multiple goals. It really is a relentless, overwhelming attack. They score 5.5 goals per game.Vanderbilt’s midfield trio of Abi Brighton, Maci Teater, and Courtney Jones, along with Ella Eggleston who has played a lot of CAM this season, will need to be disruptive to Razorback attacks to help the back three not get overwhelmed. Meanwhile, Arkansas is giving up just under a goal per game and only 7.625 shots per game. Statistically, goalkeeper appears to be the weak point, but it may just be a matter of not allowing many attacking opportunities in general but eventually being caught by a counter attack. Starter Keegan Smith has allowed 5 goals in 540 minutes across 8 appearances, all but one of which was a start. Smith has a 0.762 save percentage. Her primary backup Emma Parker has appeared 4 times without starting and has allowed 2 goals in 142 minutes with a 0.667 save percentage. Peyton Whipple has the only start not by Smith and did appear in 1 other contest but has only played a total of 37 minutes. Let’s hope we only see Smith, not because she is a lesser goalkeeper but because she is the starter and seeing the others will mean either the game is out of hand or there has been an injury.Tonight’s kickoff was originally slated for 7 PM Central from the Vanderbilt Soccer/Lacrosse Complex but has been moved up an hour to 6 PM Central due to weather issues from the leading edge of Hurricane Helene. It could be a wet, sloppy surface for the players. Tonight is also African American Heritage Night. The typical Thursday Happy Hour means beers and seltzers are $3 off along with half-priced sodas and packaged snacks to help you ignore how miserable the weather might be. If you want to enjoy the very fun atmosphere that is soccer in the rain without “enjoying” the rain itself, the stream will be streamed on SEC Network+. I will be unable to make it out tonight, so I will be joining you fine folks on the streaming.</div></body>

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Soccer Preview and Game Thread: Arkansas

The Georgia Bulldogs handed the Vanderbilt Commodores their first lost of the soccer season. It was a 1-0 result where Georgia got a goal early then held on for dear life. Vanderbilt controlled the match flow and felt like they were going to equalize eventually but never did. Looking at...