Women's soccer team drops tough game to Vandy

19-10-2009:- The pink and white shakers given to fans at Sunday’s Alabama-Vanderbilt women’s soccer game to promote the UA athletics department’s breast cancer awareness initiative could not have served as a greater contrast to the game’s somber result for Alabama, as the Crimson Tide lost 1-0 in an overtime battle.

In the two teams’ previous 16 meetings, the Commodores had won 11 times. Alabama’s loss comes after a thrilling victory over Kentucky Friday.

“As good as we were Friday night, we were as bad today,” said head coach Todd Bramble. “The energy, the emotion just wasn’t there. It was empty. We were flat.
Vanderbilt deserved to win.”

The Commodores had 14 shots on goal in regulation, while the Tide only had six. Vanderbilt goalkeeper Rachel Bachtel didn’t even have to make a save throughout regulation or overtime.

“Their effort and energy was inexcusable,” Bramble said. “To have an opportunity at home like this and to come out and put the type of effort that they did in the game was just really disappointing, and I let them know that [at the end of regulation], hoping it would get them angry and evoke some kind of emotion that would end up being a positive for us.”

A stat that the Tide did outnumber Vanderbilt in was fouls. Counting overtime, Alabama had 14 fouls to Vanderbilt’s seven.

“We could have been more patient with the fouls we received,” said senior defender Alex Butera. “I mean, it’s not my call to say I agree or not. It’s the ref’s decision whether I like it or not. Did I agree with every call? Probably not, but there’s nothing I can do about it.
There’s things you can’t control. You have to play the game the way it hands you.”

But the Tide doesn’t seem to be dwelling on the loss as they prepare for another SEC match at home versus Tennessee Sunday.

“We just have to come out strong as we did on Friday night with a lot of enthusiasm and intensity,” Butera said. “I think that’s what gets this team motivated, and I think putting one goal away in the beginning and getting more energy and excited and have a good week of training will help.”