March 30, 2018
New Game Time: 12:30 p.m.
The Game: Vanderbilt Lacrosse vs. Villanova
The Time: Saturday, March 31 at 12:30 p.m.
The Place: VU Soccer/Lacrosse Complex- Nashville, Tenn.
The Broadcast: Facebook Live broadcast at Facebook.com/VanderbiltAthletics
Vanderbilt lacrosse gets back to BIG EAST Conference play on Saturday with the second of three straight home games, as Villanova visits the Commodores at 12:30 p.m. The team will host a pregame kids’ egg hunt beginning at noon at the field, with free admission for both the egg hunt and the game.
The Commodores (6-4, 1-1 BIG EAST) are coming off a non-conference loss to Oregon while the Wildcats (5-4, 0-2 BIG EAST) are seeking their first conference win after losses to Georgetown and Marquette.
Vanderbilt attacker Emily Mathewson leads the team with 48 points, and has scored 13 points on six goals and seven assists in her past two games. The sophomore from Garnet Valley, Pa. set a new personal-best with four assists in Wednesday’s game against Oregon.
“A lot of attackers are criticized for maybe wanting to make the pretty plays and get the goals, but that’s just not her makeup,” Vanderbilt head coach Cathy Swezey said after the loss. “She’ll do whatever we ask of her and she works very hard, so we appreciate her.”
Mathewson scored her 50th collegiate goal in her 25th collegiate game Wednesday, while senior attacker Kayla Peterson is just 10 goals away from 100 career goals.
Opening draw for the BIG EAST matchup is at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at the VU Soccer/Lacrosse Complex. The game will be streamed via Facebook Live at Facebook.com/VanderbiltAthletics.
Series History
Villanova leads the all-time series, 2-1, as the teams meet for the fourth straight season. Vanderbilt won last year’s meeting on March 18, 2017, 14-12, in Philadelphia in the BIG EAST opener. Emily Mathewson scored a career-high eight points on five goals and three assists in the win, while Julie Blaze added four goals. The Wildcats won the only previous meeting in Nashville, 7-6, in the regular season finale on April 24, 2016.
Taming the Wildcats
Villanova enters Saturday’s game with a 5-4 overall record and a 0-2 mark in BIG EAST Conference play. The Wildcats have lost two straight games to open conference play, a 19-10 loss at Georgetown on March 17 and a 16-12 home loss vs. Marquette on March 24. The Dores (36.0) and the Wildcats (33.33) are first and second in the conference in shots per game. Nova is third nationally and first in the BIG EAST with 7.78 assists per game, with assists occurring on 57 percent of the team’s goals this season.
Milestones All Around
Vanderbilt senior attacker Kayla Peterson scored her 100th career point in Sunday’s win over Butler. The senior from Hagerstown, Md. has scored 90 goals along with 17 assists in her Commodore career for a total of 107 points, and is 10 goals away from joining the 100-goal club. Peterson is now tied for 8th in program history with 87 draw controls, and is one draw control away from holding sole possession of 8th place. Sophomore attacker Emily Mathewson scored her 50th career goal Wednesday vs. Oregon, and junior midfielder Melanie Becker scored her 50th career point at Butler on Sunday.
Perfect Attendance
Vanderbilt has been represented on the BIG EAST Weekly Awards in all seven editions of this season’s conference honors. Detailed recaps of each honoree’s performances can be found in the notes below.
Vanderbilt’s 2018 BIG EAST Weekly Award Winners:
- Week 7: Kayla Peterson, BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
- Week 6: Melissa Hawkins, BIG EAST Freshman of the Week
- Week 5: Emily Mathewson, BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
- Week 4: Kayla Peterson, BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
- Week 3: Julie Blaze, BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
- Week 2: Gabrielle Fornia, BIG EAST Freshman of the Week
- Week 1: Julie Blaze, BIG EAST Midfielder of the Week
Leading the Nation
Vanderbilt’s offense is third nationally with 36.0 shots per game (trailing Maryland and Virginia at 36.1) and second nationwide with 26.8 shots on goal per game. The Commodores are also 11th in Division I with 15.3 goals per game. Defensively, the Dores are second nationally with 24.8 ground balls per game and 10th in Division I with 11.5 caused turnovers per game.
Beasts of the BIG EAST
Vanderbilt leads the BIG EAST Conference in six major team categories (NCAA rankings in parentheses):
- Scoring Offense: 15.3 Goals per Game (11th nationally)
- Shots per Game: 36.0 (third nationally)
- Shots on Goal per Game: 28.8 (second nationally)
- Scoring Margin: +3.9 Goals per Game (22nd nationally)
- Caused Turnovers per Game: 11.5 (10th nationally)
- Fewest Turnovers per Game: 14.3 (17th nationally)
Peterson Hits the Century Mark
Senior attacker Kayla Peterson was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll for Week 7 on Tuesday after collecting six points on five goals and an assist in Vandy’s 17-8 win over Butler on Sunday. Peterson’s second goal of the game was her 100th collegiate point, and also established a new career-high as her 31st goal of the season. Peterson’s lone assist of the game came on a pass to her twin sister, Leah, for her first goal of the season and first score since both twins were freshmen in 2015.