Shana Flynn buried a PK in the sixth minute for her second goal of the season. 1-0 Hogs at Pensacola. Currently in the 24th minute.
Winner plays regular season champ Alabama Thursday at 6 p.m. in the semifinals.
1-0 at halftime
Vandy ties it up with a header in the 70th minute and could have the lead now; Grace Barbara made two point-blank saves in 30 seconds early in the second half. Vandy has pretty much dominated the second half.
There will be OT in the tournament if needed, instead of ties as in the regular season.
Flynn got the pK but is not at optimal playing speed, Bry Hunter just gave up the dumbest corner kick and we paid dearly. I think that Bry is as good as it gets and we need her to be a national force, but man she is still playing herself into shape. AP not connecting on either gimme in the opening minutes is tough to overcome.
Bama plays the ball much better today than we do. Vandy has seized momentum by wearing us down, we have no blitz factor left. Gonna have to suck it up and gut it out.
Separately, I am very proud of Caroline Betts of Vandy who was lauded for scoring 201 high school goals. She was valdevictorian and National Merit Scholar to boot. Announers not quite accurate, she played 5 years in high school not 4. We have an 8th grader who will not get to 200 but will be better than Betts. Colby Hale did get Ella Reilly out of Nashville/Murfreesboro but probably cannot contact Livvy since she is still only an 8th grader. He should as soon as he can.
We are better in goal and weaker on the backline tonight. We are missing the interplayer connection that Bama demonstrated today. Not sure why so many of our kids look like they are a step slow tonight.
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Anna P with two golden opportunities not cashed in in the first half. Gonna come back and bite us.
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Went to OT, through one 10-minute OT with no goals. If no goals in the next 10 minutes, it goes to PKs.
Ainsley Erzen had an open 12-yard shot with 2:30 left in OT and shot it high.
Ava Tankersley put it in the net with 1:28 left but she was offside. And she was, by a foot or so
Just too many missed opportunities!
Thing is, Tank didn’t need to go offside. She was open if she’d stayed in an onside position.
Going to PKs now
First round of PKs (at least 5, then one round at a time until tie is broken):
Vandy misses high
Hauser scores, Hogs 1-0 so far.
Second round:
Vandy scores
Flynn misses high
1-1
Third round:
Vandy scores (Barbara is moving too soon and it’s easy to go the other way)
Ellie Podojil scores
2-2
Fourth round:
Vandy scores (Barbara goes the same way every time)
Anna Podojil bounces one in off the GK’s hands
3-3
Fifth round
Vandy scores (Barbara touched but couldn’t keep it out)
Our backup GK scores
4-4
Sixth round
Vandy’s backup GK scores
Vandy makes the save.
Dores win the shootout 5-4.
Disappointing. Should never have gone to PK’s.
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we will still be top 16, but not top 8. Lowest energy/effort game that I have seen from them this year. Just cancelled my Thursday reservations. Bea Franklin and Bry Hunter did not have good games tonight and I lost a lot of confidence in Grace Barbara esp in the PK round, she has the leg to make us a fastbreak threat on any goal kick or punt but Vandy covered back after the initial surge we put out. I do think Barbara is best GK that Colby has had, please give us back the real Bry Hunter.
As I had said earlier this week it would be a set piece tournament to win. Not our night for opportunigy despite our talent advantage.
We gave up the momentum and Vandy made easy clears and passes, we mysteriously got it back without finishing in the last 3 minutes of regulation.
Worst night for settling passes and second balls that we have had this year except maybe the St Louis loss. PK lineup choice is usually just a feel thing and I could not have cringed more when Flynn was chosen and then the backup GK. One was a hit and one was a miss.
We had lots of short winded players throughout the second half. I cannot figure who is the emotional leader of this team. I think we would roll big time if we had some of the personality leaders on the Bama team or especially a Mo O’Connor type.
Today was my training for March Madness. My daughter turned down a watch party for Vandy to stay loyal to me and the Razorbacks. Pensacola was no kinder than Orange Beach.
I hated Ian Curry doing color for the broadcast which sort of made it hard to watch as our play deteriorated while the game wore on. I miss the Tulsa mafia group for their emotional charge. We should be a sweet 16 team this year. ACC will rule the soccer championships like SEC does our football.
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Thanks for the painful insight and I am sorry for your daughter’s dilemma without a reward of a joyful Dad. I thought our energy and effort had improved watching the first half play including the misses that were never to return. I agree completely with your take on the reversal of energized play by Vandy with a seemly gassed response by Arkansas, and also the “mysterious” return of energy and coordinated effort as the time worked down. But for two short steps emerging from a typical Razorback blitz the match might have concluded in a lesson-learned-victory, but instead of the worst deflation in sports - a missing the final crucial penalty- shot in a tie-breaker. Hopefully, this University of Arkansas Razorback Women’s Soccer Team will experience a more rewarding finish in the NCAA tournament.
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The dreaded lack of situational awareness strikes again.Then the shootout. Oh my. I know it is not easy for a keeper to stop a well placed shot. Even in her prime, I’m sure Hope Solo allowed far more past her than she stopped. You have to guess correctly which corner the shooter will aim for to even have a chance. I like to see an animated, energetic and aggressive keeper, who tries to get into a shooter’s head. Someone who exudes confidence and says " bring it on".That approach can usually work well enough to stop at least one shooter. What I saw from our keeper last night, was just the opposite of that.
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Grace kept going to her left, often before the shooter reached the ball. Thus it was easy for the shooter to aim to her right, except for the girl who skied it over the bar. She finally guessed right on the final shot, touched it but couldn’t keep it out.
Even in the pros, PKs should score 80% of the time. Vandy scored 83%, we scored 71% in regulation and the shootout. Not good enough. But if Tank is a little more patient at the end, it never gets to the shootout.