NASHVILLE – Vanderbilt clinched a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season and will host a first-round match with Murray State this weekend, the NCAA selection committee announced on Monday.
The Commodores (15-3-1) will face the Racers on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. CT at the Vanderbilt Soccer Complex. It will be the first time the Dores have hosted an NCAA Tournament game since 2005, when they hosted Samford.
This fall, the Commodores claimed the 2018 SEC regular season championship after posting an 8-1-1 mark in conference play. The Dores have posted a 9-0-1 mark at home this season, and they are unbeaten at home in their last 12 games.
Vanderbilt head coach Darren Ambrose garnered SEC Coach of the Year honors for the first time in his career. He became the third coach in program history to win the award.
Haley Hopkins became the first freshman in Vanderbilt history to win SEC Freshman of the Year honors after she posted 12 goals and six assists this season to lead all Commodores.
The Commodores made the NCAA Tournament last season for the first time since 2006, going on to defeat No. 14 Ohio State in the first round in Columbus, 2-1. This season marks Vanderbilt’s first back-to-back berths in the NCAA Tournament since the 2005-06 seasons.
Nine different SEC teams punched their tickets to the NCAA Tournament, the most of any conference.
Murray State recently won the OVC conference tournament for the second consecutive season. The Racers posted a 13-4-1 record this season. The one common opponent both teams have faced was Ole Miss, which defeated Murray State 3-0 earlier this fall.
Tickets for Saturday’s game are $10 for adults and $5 for students. Any child under two will be admitted for free.
