Florida Soccer and Vanderbilt Tie 3-3
Florida Soccer and Vanderbilt Tie 3-3
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Florida soccer tied Vanderbilt 3-3 in a back-and-forth match Sunday afternoon at the Vanderbilt Soccer Complex.
Three goals equals the most surrendered by the Commodores this season - 3-3 tie versus then No. 20 Northwestern (Sept. 3) and 3-1 loss at then No. 9 South Carolina to open Southeastern Conference play on Sept. 15. The Commodores finish regular-season home action unbeaten at Vanderbilt Soccer Complex (8-0-3).
Florida is still in contention to be among the 10-team field for the 2023 SEC Tournament in Pensacola, Fla. Check SEC results later tonight to see the league standings heading into the regular-season finale on Thursday.
This Afternoon's Scoring: Gator freshman Megan Hinnenkamp opened the afternoon's scoring when she won the ball sent in by Lauren McCloskey from the VU goalkeeper. Hinnenkamp scored from 18 yards on an empty goal at 12:15. McCloskey pushed out her team-leading assist total to four on the play.
The Commodores tied the match when Addie Porter drove endline and then slotted the ball to Rachel Deresky in middle of the box. Deresky scored on a right-footed shot at 18:58.
Florida took a 2-1 lead into halftime thanks to junior Madeline Pirrello's header off Delaney Tauzel's free kick in the 31st minute. It was Pirrello's first goal since she opened the 2023 season's scoring versus East Carolina. Tauzel earns her first point of the season on the assist.
Vanderbilt tied the match again in the 62nd minute when the Commodores were awarded a free kick outside the box just above the endline. The low ball hit by Abi Brighton was scored by Amber Nguyen.
Florida was awarded a penalty kick in the 48th minute. Maddy Rhodes' shot was saved by VU's Kate Devine and the Gators couldn't get a foot on the deflection to get another opportunity.
The Commodores took the lead in the 79th minute when Maddie Baker hit a hard short shot off the defection of Nguyen's cross.
Florida freshmen Lena Bailey and Hinnenkamp connected in 84th minute to tie the match on the afternoon's final goal. Bailey fought off a pair of Commodores to get a deep cross off to the far post. Hinnenkamp won the ball and her left-footed chip scored just inside the far post. It was Hinnenkamp's third double-goal match of the season and pushed her team leading season total to eight goals. Bailey, who is second among Gator goal scorers with four, registered her first assist of the season.
Did You Know? Megan Hinnenkamp is one of six Gators with three or more multi-goal matches during her freshman season.
Name Freshman Season # of Multi-Goal Matches
Savannah Jordan 2013 6
Andi Sellers 1997 5
Abby Wambach 1998 5
Megan Hinnenkamp 2023 3
Deanne Rose 2017 3
Annie Speese 2011 3
Hear from Coach Bohon: On this afternoon's performance:
"That was a fun SEC game! Vanderbilt poses a tough challenge as they are good with the ball and have quick players. I was pleased with how we adjusted midway through the first half and put two away.
"Coming out of halftime, I liked the match-ups we had and would have loved to see us put that penalty away to take a 3-1 lead. Credit to Kate Devine for the save. At this point in the season, you know teams are going to push for results. I was really proud of our group for equalizing late and creating two other really good chances.
"This group has shown a willingness to fight to the end, regardless of the score and it helped us come out with a big point today. I'm proud of our team emptying their tank again and giving us a chance for postseason as we head into Thursday. We would really love to have Gator Nation show up Thursday night and give these deserving players a home field environment for this pivotal regular season finale!" - Florida Head Coach Samantha Bohon
Records: Florida: 6-5-5, 2-4-3 SEC VU: 8-4-5, 3-4-2 SEC
Series Record: Florida leads 28-5-4
Next Up: Florida closes regular-season action playing host to No. 17 South Carolina on Thursday. The Gamecocks shut out Georgia 4-0 Sunday afternoon to close regular-season home action in Columbia, S.C.
Thursday is Gator Soccer Senior Day. The careers of Tessa Barton, Molly Grant and Maddy Rhodes will be celebrated in a post-match ceremony.
No. 17 South Carolina (11-1-5, 5-0-4 SEC)
Date: Thursday, Oct. 26
Time: 6 p.m. ET
Site: Donald R. Dizney Stadium
SEC Network +: SEC Network +
Radio: GatorVision
Admission: Free Promotions: Come early to get a Gators soccer scarf! Florida (6-5-5, 2-4-3 SEC) at Vanderbilt (8-4-5, 3-4-2 SEC)
Stadium: Vanderbilt Soccer Complex (407)
Weather: 66 degrees, winds NNE at 5 mph
Goals by Period 1 2 Total
Florida 2 1 3
Vanderbilt 1 2 3
Scoring Summary: No. Time Team Goal Scorer Assist
1. 12:15 UF Megan Hinnenkamp Lauren McCloskey
2. 18:58 VU Rachel Deresky Addie Porter
3. 30:29 UF Maddy Pirrello Delaney Tauzel
4. 61:08 VU Amber Nguyen Abi Brighton
5. 78:03 VU Maddie Baker Amber Nguyen
6. 83:24 UF Megan Hinnenkamp Lena Bailey
Shots: UF 10, VU 11 Saves: Florida 3 (Alexa Goldberg 3), VU 3 (Kate Devine 3), Offsides: UF 3, VU 4 Cautions: VU Team - yellow (77:32); VU Team - yellow (77:32); VU Courtney Jones - yellow (82:45)
(Special to 1st & Ten Florida by Florida Athletics)