UGA's Vernis, Denigan net goals to down Vandy
ATHENS, Ga. - A pair of goals boosted the University of Georgia soccer team past Vanderbilt, 2-1, Friday evening before 1,902 spectators at the Turner Soccer Complex.
Redshirt senior Nicole Vernis and redshirt freshman Summer Denigan chipped in one goal apiece to contribute to Georgia's (6-2-3, 2-1-1 SEC) scoring effort. Vernis led the offense with four shots as Denigan followed with three. Graduate Hannah White added two shots as two other Bulldogs had attempts. Vanderbilt (6-3-3, 1-3-0 SEC) outshot Georgia by a 15-11 margin. Sophomore goalkeeper Jordan Brown notched a pair of saves during the 90 minutes.
The Commodores found two early attempts at a goal but were unsuccessful. In the 19th minute, a deflected ball by a Vanderbilt defender found its way to Vernis, who was waiting at the top of the box. She sent the ball into the bottom left of the net to give the Bulldogs a 1-0 advantage. With the goal, she became the eighth player in program history to post a point in five straight matches.
Coming out of halftime, the Bulldogs put up three shots before Denigan connected in the 50th minute. Graduate Croix Bethune moved the ball between defenders and found Denigan with a pass deep into the box as she chipped the ball over a diving Vanderbilt keeper to boost the Bulldogs' lead to two.
The Commodores used a corner kick to get the ball into the box in the 83rd minute. A scramble close to the goal resulted in Vanderbilt putting a score on the board to trail 2-1. The Commodores nearly found the equalizer in the final minute, but their final shot was blocked to preserve the win.
The Bulldogs will hit the road and travel to Fayetteville, Arkansas to face the No. 7 Razorbacks on Oct. 5. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. The match will be streamed live on SEC Network+.