Women’s soccer drops two games at Tennessee’s Lady Vol Classic over the weekend

Quinn Casteel

Sports Editor

The VCU women’s soccer team traveled to Knoxville, Tenn. this weekend for the Lady Vol Classic and played two games against quality non-conference opponents as a tune-up for their upcoming A-10 schedule. The Rams fell 2-1 to Akron on Friday and 2-0 to host, Tennessee on Sunday afternoon, falling to 1-2-1 in the young season.
“It was a great tournament to play in, with two tough teams and I think it was a good measure for us to see where we stand,” said Co-Head Coach Tiffany Sahaydak on the Lady Vol Classic.
“The score of the game today didn’t really reflect our performance which is a really good thing,” Sahaydak told The CT on Sunday after the loss to the Lady Volunteers. “Against Akron I think we really fell short in effort, but today we actually progressed because of our work ethic and fight.”
On Sunday, VCU fell behind in just the third minute of the match on a defensive lapse following a set piece. Tennessee earned a throw-in in the Rams’ defensive third, and the VCU back line was unable to reorganize fast enough and was caught off-guard in transition.
“When the ball goes out of bounds it can be a time for players to take a quick mental break, and when that happens you will be punished for it,” Sahaydak said about the play.
From there, VCU battled back but ultimately would not manage to get on the scoreboard. Tennessee out-shot VCU 15-6 and would control the tempo of the match.
Although VCU surrendered two goals on Sunday, both came on set pieces with one coming on a throw-in and the second goal finding the net directly from a corner kick without any sort of redirection. The Rams did not allow a goal during free-flowing action, and were significantly better defensively than they were on Friday against Akron.
Sophomore Alex Gogolin filled in at right back after Lauryn Hutchison went out with heat exhaustion, causing a shuffle in the Ram lineup. Gogolin played well in emergency duty and earned the praises of her coaches after the match.
This weekend also marked the return of starting goalkeeper Kristin Carden, who has been out with injury since early spring. Redshirt freshman Emma Kruse played in her place and made a lasting impression, earning A-10 Rookie of the Week and earning a win and a tie. However, Carden, a senior who transferred from Virginia Tech a year ago, will move forward as the starter after a tremendous 2011 season.

“Emma did a really good job for us but our goal right now is to get Carden back into form,” said Sahaydak. “She brings so much to the game with her voice and her organization, as well as her presence. She’s not into form right now, which is expected, but our goal is to get her back into shape and make her the starter.”
Offensively, the team’s standout players over the weekend were Wendy Acosta and Costa Rican National Team member Cristin Granados. Granados scored the Rams’ only goal of the weekend, an unassisted strike in the first half against Akron.
VCU now returns home after a three-match road stint, which included a trip to Longwood and two games at the Lady Vol Classic in Tennessee. The Rams host Villanova in their next match on Sept. 2, which kicks off at 1 p.m. at Sports Backers Stadium. . CT