Aug. 31, 2016
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vanderbilt heads into its final weekend of non-conference play with a 2-2-0 record. The ‘Dores host Murray State Thursday, September 1st at 5:00 pm. On the 4th, San Francisco travels to Nashville for a 12:00 competition.
Broadcasting and Promotions:
- Vanderbilt vs. Murray State can be followed via live stats . For the first 250 fans with football tickets can
- Vanderbilt vs. USF will be broadcasted on SECN+ HERE. Celebrating National Wildlife Day, Nashville Zoo animals will be at the VU Soccer Complex from 11:00 am – 12:00 pm and animal masks.
Vanderbilt fell 3-0 to No. 1 Florida State, keeping the ‘Noles scoreless the entire second half. The squad turned around to earn its first home victory of the season on Sunday, in an 8-0 shutout over Jackson State.
Following the Sunday matinee against JSU, senior Sasha Gray now leads the Commodores in scoring after securing a second half hat trick. Freshman Grace Jackson also had a banner outing with three assists and her first collegiate goal.
Hannon Eberts and Sydney O’Donnell also netted their first goals for the black and gold, while GK reserves, Taiana Tolleson and Lauren Demarci, earned their first minutes in goal.
Measuring Murray State:
In 2015, the Racers took home OVC regular season and tournament championships. The squad also comes off their second ever NCAA tournament appearance. Now owning a 1-1 record, MSU took a season opening 4-2 loss to Alabama, but defeated Chattanooga 2-0 at home.
Junior forward, Harriet Withers, netted both goals against the Crimson Tide and could create problems for the black and gold’s backline. The Australian was named the 2015 OVC Offensive Player of the Year and played well against the ‘Dores this spring in the 0-0 spring exhibition.
Vandy is the second of three SEC opponents the Racers will face this season. MSU opened with a 4-2 loss at Alabama (Aug. 21) and will play at Kentucky (Sept. 11). The Racers are 1-6-0 all-time against SEC opponents. In 2015, MSU defeated Mississippi State 2-1.
The Racers and Commodores have meet just once in program history, with Vanderbilt earning a 4-0 win over MSU in 2009.
Scouting San Francisco:
San Francisco heads to the home of another SEC school, Missouri, prior to taking on the ‘Dores on West End. The Dons travel cross country with a 2-2 record, boasting a pair of 2-1 wins over Florida Gulf Coast and UC Riverside.
Tabbed to finish 5th in the West Coast Conference, USF is home to two All-WCC team selections in senior midfielder Jessica Nakae and senior defender Ali Schaffer. Nakae started all 20 games last season and tallied a pair of goals with three assists.
Schaffer, the 2015 WCC co-Defender of the Year and second team All-WCC honoree, returns to anchor a defensive that posted the best goals against average in program history last season (0.72) and tied the program mark with 10 shutouts.
Sunday’s showdown will be broadcasted on SECN+ and is the first competition between Vanderbilt and San Francisco.