The Vanderbilt Commodores started the 2026 season with a win that left a "bitter" taste in Coach Darren Ambrose's mouth according to his post-game interview. He used the words sluggish, lethargic, and choreographed to describe the performance. Coach Ambrose harped on being proud and happy with the victory, but he kept focusing on different flaws in the performance. If you saw my comments during and after the match, I am proud to say Coach and I are on the same wavelength.
The pushback that I got was that it was just game 1. It was. I am not panicking. My predictions for the season have not changed. My thoughts about the talent on the team have not changed, except for some concern about one particular position. Armas in goal was not very convincing. Again, it was match 1. I am not going to react too strongly yet.
The Commodores had plenty of possession and tons of shot attempts. They spent more than a third of the match (35%) in possession in the attacking half. Attempting 21 shots but with only 7 on target is where the sharpness and intensity that Ambrose found lacking came into play. They generated 11 corners yet did not score off one. Conversely, SMU was able to turn 21% attacking possession and 8 shot attempts into 4 shots on target and 3 goals. Granted, 1 goal for the Mustangs was a cross that deflected off Grace Freeman's leg in a truly unfortunate moment where Armas was diving out to claim the cross.
The number of players used is really intriguing to me. Typically, Coach Ambrose has gone deep into the bench early in seasons. It normally is paired down to 14 to 16 by the time SEC play starts, but early season matches often see 20 or more players. The tightness of the match and dissatisfaction with the performance may have been why the starters played more as they tried to work out the kinks.
Courtney Jones, Olivia Stafford, and Sydney Watts all have 4 shot attempts and a goal is not particularly surprising. I would have expected Pentz to get off more shots, but she had the early goal on her only attempt. I do not think Fullerton at CAM and Pentz at striker beside Watts is the best lineup for this squad based on natural inclinations of the players and how that effects ******* ing.
#goal #performance #possession
The pushback that I got was that it was just game 1. It was. I am not panicking. My predictions for the season have not changed. My thoughts about the talent on the team have not changed, except for some concern about one particular position. Armas in goal was not very convincing. Again, it was match 1. I am not going to react too strongly yet.
The Commodores had plenty of possession and tons of shot attempts. They spent more than a third of the match (35%) in possession in the attacking half. Attempting 21 shots but with only 7 on target is where the sharpness and intensity that Ambrose found lacking came into play. They generated 11 corners yet did not score off one. Conversely, SMU was able to turn 21% attacking possession and 8 shot attempts into 4 shots on target and 3 goals. Granted, 1 goal for the Mustangs was a cross that deflected off Grace Freeman's leg in a truly unfortunate moment where Armas was diving out to claim the cross.
The number of players used is really intriguing to me. Typically, Coach Ambrose has gone deep into the bench early in seasons. It normally is paired down to 14 to 16 by the time SEC play starts, but early season matches often see 20 or more players. The tightness of the match and dissatisfaction with the performance may have been why the starters played more as they tried to work out the kinks.
Courtney Jones, Olivia Stafford, and Sydney Watts all have 4 shot attempts and a goal is not particularly surprising. I would have expected Pentz to get off more shots, but she had the early goal on her only attempt. I do not think Fullerton at CAM and Pentz at striker beside Watts is the best lineup for this squad based on natural inclinations of the players and how that effects ******* ing.
#goal #performance #possession
8 days ago
