Feb. 26, 2018
The Game: Vanderbilt vs. Louisville
The Time: Tuesday, February 27 at 3 p.m. CT
The Place: VU Soccer/Lacrosse Complex, Nashville, TN
The Broadcast: Facebook Live broadcast online at Facebook.com/VanderbiltAthletics
Vanderbilt lacrosse’s second 3-0 start in the last decade has the team receiving votes in the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll for the first time since April 2012.
On Tuesday, the Commodores (3-0, 0-0 BIG EAST) get their biggest test of the season, as VU’s three-game homestand continues against Louisville (4-1, 0-0 ACC) at 3 p.m. A win would give Vanderbilt its first 4-0 start since 2008.
The Commodores won their home opener against Furman Saturday, by the final score of 19-7. Junior midfielder Julie Blaze, sophomore attacker Emily Mathewson and senior attacker Kayla Peterson each scored four goals for the Dores. All three players have already reached double digit goals this season, fueling Vanderbilt’s 19.67 goals per game mark, tied with Syracuse for the top scoring offense in the nation.
“We set a tone right from the first whistle,” Vanderbilt head coach Cathy Swezey said after the win. “When you have somebody like Kayla Peterson controlling the draw the way she does, and Julie [Blaze] and [junior midfielder Melanie Becker] in the circle coming up with the 50-50 balls, it just puts you in a good position. We wanted to play smart, but I thought we played very fast right from the first whistle. We didn’t waste any shot opportunities or anything like that.”
Vanderbilt outshot Furman, 36-19, and won the draw control battle for the third-straight game. Peterson leads the team with 26 shots and 16 draw controls this season. The Dores are now outshooting opponents 117-65 on the year and lead the NCAA with 31.67 shots on goal per game.
Both Vanderbilt and Louisville received votes in this week’s Inside Lacrosse Media Poll, and Coach Swezey understands that the Cardinals will provide a step up from past competition. Vanderbilt has lost to Louisville each of the past five seasons, but forced overtime against a ranked Cardinals team on the road last year.
“I think it’s important to play with confidence, and I think we have some right now,” Swezey said. “I think we should go into this game–against an opponent that is better known than we are currently–and still have that confidence, but be well-prepared.”
Opening draw is 3 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon at the VU Soccer/Lacrosse Complex, and admission is free to the public. The game will be streamed on Facebook Live at Facebook.com/VanderbiltAthletics.
Series History
This is the ninth meeting between Vanderbilt and Louisville in lacrosse, with the Cardinals leading the series 6-2. The teams have played each of the past eight seasons, with Vanderbilt’s wins coming in the first-ever meeting in 2010 and 2012, both at home. The Dores are 2-2 against Louisville in Nashville.
Scouting the Cardinals
Louisville comes to Nashville with a 4-1 record, featuring wins over Cincinnati, Marquette, Butler and Coastal Carolina. The Cardinals’ only loss was a 12-5 defeat against Denver at home on February 17. Vanderbilt will be Louisville’s fourth BIG EAST opponent through six games this season, and the Cardinals are 2-1 in those contests so far.
Back on the Ballot
Vanderbilt was one of eight teams receiving votes in the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll that debuted on Monday, February 26 (Week 3). This is Vanderbilt’s first inclusion in the poll since April 2012, when the Commodores were ranked 19th in the final week of the regular season.
Leading the Nation
Vanderbilt’s offense is tied for first nationally in goals per game. The Commodores and Syracuse share the top spot with 19.67 goals per game. Vanderbilt also leads the NCAA with 31.67 shots on goal per game and is third with 39 shots per game. Emily Mathewson is tied for third national with 4.67 goals per game, and Kayla Peterson is tied for seventh with 4.33 goals per game.
Hot Start
The Commodores are 3-0 for the first time since 2015 and just the second time in past ten seasons. Vanderbilt’s last 4-0 start was in 2008, when the Dores started 5-0.
Fornia Earns BIG EAST Freshman of the Week Honor
Vanderbilt freshman attacker Gabrielle Fornia became the team’s second player in as many weeks to be honored by the BIG EAST. Fornia was named the BIG EAST Freshman of the Week for her two-goal, two-assist performance in the Dores’ 22-12 win over Fresno State on Monday. Fornia’s two goals were her first as a collegiate player, and her pair of assists added to her team-high total of five helpers through two games.
Mathewson’s Career Day
Sophomore attacker Emily Mathewson led the Commodore charge against Fresno State, scoring a career-high six goals in the win and surpassing her previous mark of five, set against Villanova on March 17, 2017. The sophomore led the way in an extremely on-target game for Vanderbilt’s shooters, as 37 of the team’s 39 shots were on goal. Mathewson is currently tied for third in the country with five goals per game.
Clean Slate
Vanderbilt’s defense locked down in impressive fashion during the first half of Monday’s 22-12 win over Fresno State. The Commodores dominated the last 15 minutes of the period, holding the Bulldogs scoreless for the final 16 minutes and 22 seconds and scoring the last seven goals of the half. Vanderbilt’s shutout streak carried into the second half, lasting 18:59 in total and starting a stretch where the Dores allowed just one goal over a 26 minute and six second span. VU went from down 5-3 to ahead 14-6 in that sequence.
Blaze Named BIG EAST Midfielder of the Week
On February 13, junior midfielder Julie Blaze was named the BIG EAST Midfielder of the Week for her Week 1 performance. Blaze scored six points (four goals, two assists) in Vanderbilt’s 18-14 win over Kennesaw State on Sunday, February 18. She filled up the stat sheet by claiming four draw controls and three ground balls in the tight road win. This was Blaze’s first career Midfielder of the Week award, adding to her honors of 2018 Preseason All-BIG EAST, 2017 first-team All-BIG EAST and one BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll in Week 1 of the 2017 season.
Peterson’s Big Day
Senior attacker Kayla Peterson scored five goals against Kennesaw State, finishing just one goal below her career-high of six goals, coming on February 26, 2017 in an 18-8 win at Furman. Four of Peterson’s five goals came in the first half, including three in the first 11 minutes as the Commodores jumped out to a 6-1 lead that they would never relinquish. Her lone second half goal put the game out of reach with 1:25 remaining. Peterson also posted a game-high nine shots and six draw controls in the win.
Preseason Pick
The Big East coaches picked Vanderbilt to finish sixth in the conference’s preseason poll, tied with Marquette for the sixth spot in the 10-team league. Midfielder Julie Blaze was named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST team.
BIG EAST Women’s Lacrosse Preseason Coaches’ Poll:
1. Florida (9 first place votes)
2. Denver (1)
3. Georgetown
4. Temple
5. Connecticut
t-6. Vanderbilt
t-6. Marquette
8. Villanova
9. Cincinnati
10. Butler
Vanderbilt Lacrosse Joining American Athletic Conference in 2019
The Vanderbilt lacrosse program announced in October that it will join the American Athletic Conference as an affiliate member for the league’s inaugural season of women’s lacrosse in 2019. Current BIG EAST members Cincinnati, Connecticut, Florida and Temple will make the move with Vanderbilt, joining East Carolina–currently a D-1 independent–to comprise the six team league.
Vanderbilt Lacrosse historic conference affiliation:
2019-: American Athletic Conference
2015-2018 (4 seasons): Big East Conference
2002-2014 (13 seasons): American Lacrosse Conference (founding member)
1996-2001 (6 seasons): No conference affiliation
Coach Cathy Swezey
Head coach Cathy Swezey is in her 21st season leading the Commodores. Swezey was hired as Vanderbilt’s second-ever women’s lacrosse head coach before the 1998 season. Her overall record as Vanderbilt’s head coach is 158-171, including six NCAA Tournament appearances and a national semifinals berth in 2004.
Set the Field A-Blaze
Junior Julie Blaze led Vanderbilt with 33 goals as a sophomore in 2017, becoming the first sophomore to lead the Commodores in goals since April Tellam, who scored 42 goals in 1999. Blaze also finished the year second on the team in points (38), fourth in caused turnovers (12) and draw controls (22) and fifth in ground balls (18), earning first-team All-BIG EAST honors.
Back in Black (And Gold)
The 2018 Commodores return 65% of the team’s goal scoring from last season, with just 62 out of 177 goals graduating from the program.
2017 Vanderbilt Goal Leaders (BOLD = Returning)
1. Julie Blaze, 33 goals
2. Jill Doherty, 31 goals
3. Kayla Peterson, 30 goals
4. Emily Mathewson, 17 goals
T-5. Caroline Peters, 16 goals
T-5. Melanie Becker, 16 goals
6. MacKenzie Lange, 13 goals
New Faces In Goal
Vanderbilt enters the 2018 season with a tandem of sophomore goalies. Redshirt sophomore Lily Argyle and true sophomore Madison Foglio with take over for graduated senior Callahan Kent. Both players saw their first collegiate action in 2017, with Argyle making three starts and seven appearances (1-1-0 record, 13.13 GAA, .395 save percentage) and Foglio making three starts and six appearances (1-2-0 record, 11.19 GAA, and .333 save percentage). The duo will combine to succeed three-year starter Callahan Kent, who posted a career record of 12-19-0 in 34 games during her Commodore career.
Single Digits
In 2017, the Dores were 5-0 when holding their opponent under 10 goals in a game and were just 1-9 when allowing 10 or more goals. Vanderbilt’s lone win when allowing double digit goals was a 14-12 win at Villanova on March 18, 2017.
The 90-Second Effect
In the first season of play using the NCAA-mandated 90-second possession clock, Vanderbilt attempted 30.5 shots per game while holding opponents to just 27.4 shots per game. That total gave the Commodores their highest shots per game total since the 2010 season and marked the first time Vanderbilt outshot its opponents since 2013.
Close Calls
Vanderbilt lost all three one-goal games it played in 2017 and has lost six straight one-goal games dating back to the 2016 season. The Commodores’ last one-goal win was against Elon on February 28, 2016. Vanderbilt has not played an overtime game since April 8, 2015, a 10-9 double overtime home loss against Connecticut.