Mizzou Soccer loses 2-1 Heartbreaker to Vanderbilt
September 24, 2018 | Sports,
–DC Benincasa
An own goal crushed the hopes of the Mizzou Tigers in a 2-1 defeat against the Vanderbilt Commodores.
Vanderbilt controlled the pace and possession in the beginning of the game, connecting with clean passes to create scoring chances. Mizzou’s defense, led by defender Rachel Hise, kept Vanderbilt off the scoreboard, clearing away dangerous crosses.
The momentum shifted, as the Tigers began to increase the pressure on the Commodores and create turnovers. Mizzou took the lead with 24 minutes left in the first half with a goal from forward Sarah Luebbert. Tiger forward Julissa Cisneros attempted a bicycle kick and her shot hit off the crossbar. Luebbert headed the rebound into the empty goal. Mizzou’s defense remained strong to close out the first half by blocking shots and fighting off Vanderbilt corners. The Commodores had six corner kicks in the first half, but they couldn’t capitalize on any of their chances. Mizzou had a 1-0 lead at halftime.
Then, Vandy shifted the momentum back to their side. They controlled the tempo of the second half with crisp passing and strong defending. Finally, on their ninth corner of the match, the Commodores created a scoring chance. Vanderbilt crossed the ball into the box and the header was handballed by Mizzou midfielder Bethany Coons. Coons’ handball prevented the header from going into the net, but it gave Vanderbilt a penalty kick and the referee gave the Mizzou midfielder a red card for the foul. Vanderbilt forward Kayann Boyd buried the penalty to tie the game at 1-1 with 30:10 left in the match.
Vanderbilt continued to dominate the second half, aided by the woman advantage from the red card. Then, a mistake by the Tigers’ defense delivered the backbreaking blow. Mizzou defender Ariela Beharry attempted to clear the ball out of her box, but her attempted clearance ended up in the back of her net. This own goal gave Vanderbilt a 2-1 lead with 7:07 left in the match. The Commodores held their lead to win the match. Mizzou plays their next match at Arkansas on Thursday. The next home match for the Tigers is the following Thursday, Oct. 4, against the University of Mississippi.