Exhibition in Memphis

At a Glance

• Coming off a 2-0 win in the exhibition opener, the No. 18 Vanderbilt soccer team heads to Memphis for a road exhibition set for Friday, Aug. 13. 
• This will be the final tuneup for the Commodores, who are the defending SEC Tournament champions. The regular season begins Aug. 19 versus Tennessee Tech in Nashville. 
• Vanderbilt and Memphis met in the regular season on March 28, 2021 with the Tigers earning a 3-2 overtime win in Nashville. 
• The Dores are ranked No. 18 in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Top 25 poll, while Memphis received votes in the poll. 

Last Time Out 

• Two goals from Sophia Gorski lifted Vanderbilt to a 2-0 win over Chattanooga in the exhibition opener on Aug. 8 in Nashville. 
• The Commodores held a 15-3 edge on shots and took four corners to Chattanooga’s one. 
• Goalkeepers Kate Devine, Sophie Guilmette and Sara Wojdelko combined for a clean sheet in goal. 

Rankings

• The Commodores are ranked No. 18 in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll.
• In the Top Drawer Soccer Preseason Poll, Vandy is ranked No. 21. 
• The Dores closed the 2020 season ranked No. 21 in the United Soccer Coaches poll while checking in at No. 18 in the Top Drawer Soccer poll.

The Squad

• Among Vanderbilt’s returners, 12 played in at least 12 games a season ago.
• Among the returners are All-SEC performers Maddie Elwell and Ella Shamburger.
• Now a sophomore, Abi Brighton secured SEC All-Freshman Team accolades a season ago.
• The leading scorer among the returners is senior Raegan Kelley with five a season ago. The Atlanta, Georgia, native scored three goals in the 2020 SEC Tournament, including one in the championship game versus Arkansas.

The Schedule

• The 2021 fall schedule includes 18 regular season games plus two exhibition games.
• A total of 10 regular season games and one exhibition will be played at home in Nashville.
• The Commodores will play eight nonconference games before the gauntlet that is the SEC portion of their schedule.
• The Commodores will take on six teams that finished ranked or receiving votes in the final United Soccer Coaches poll—No. 7 Duke, No. 8 Texas A&M, No. 12 Arkansas, No. 22 South Carolina, No. 23 Ole Miss and receiving-votes Pepperdine. Memphis also finished the season receiving votes in the poll.

Head Coach Darren Ambrose

• Now in his seventh season leading Vanderbilt soccer, Darren Ambrose has guided one of the best runs in program history.
• The Dores have amassed a 70-39-11 record and 33-20-7 SEC mark during his tenure.
• Fourteen of those wins are over ranked opponents, meaning Ambrose has guided the program to 14 of its 22 wins over ranked teams.
• To date, Vanderbilt has four consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament, an SEC regular season championship (2018), a tournament championship (2020) and an SEC East Division championship (2019) under his leadership.

Up Next

• The Dores open the regular season with a 7 p.m. Aug. 19 match versus Tennessee Tech.