No. 5/5 Vanderbilt (1-0) vs. ETSU (0-0)
Sunday, Aug. 16 • 6 p.m. CT
Vanderbilt Soccer Complex • Nashville, Tenn.
SEC Network+ • Live Stats • Tickets • Game Notes
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — No. 5 Vanderbilt soccer is home again for its second game of 2026, taking on ETSU at 6 p.m.
Pre-Game Recognition
- The 2026 senior class -- Adysen Armenta, Ella Eggleston, Melania Fullerton, Megan Hinnenkamp, Courtney Jones, Margo Matula and Sydney Watts -- will be recognized at approximately 5:45 p.m.
- As part of Nashville SC night, NSC defender Maxwell Woledzi will be signing autographs pre-game beginning at 5 p.m.
Series History
- This is the third meeting all-time between Vanderbilt and ETSU, and the second of the Darren Ambrose era.
- The Dores won, 6-0, at home in 2022 and 3-0 in Johnson City in 2008.
The Opponent
- ETSU was slated to open its season on Wednesday, but inclement weather in Johnson City caused their battle with North Alabama to be canceled.
- The Bucs were picked second in the SoCon preseason poll, and Reagan Fitzgerald, Ella Parker and Georgia Shields earned individual preseason honors.
Scouting Report
- The Buccaneers have 80% of their offense and 88% of their minutes played returning from a team that finished third in the SoCon in 2025
- Fitzgerald will be of particular concern for the Dores’ backline; the senior enters the year in the top 10 in program history in points (39), goals (16) and shots attempted (124) and is tied for third with eight game-winning goals.
Alone at the Top
- Wednesday's 4-3 win over SMU was the 127th for Darren Ambrose at Vandy, making him the leading coach in program history.
- He passed program legend Ken McDonald, who won 126 games from 1989-98.
- Ambrose’s 275 career wins between VU and Penn place him second among active SEC coaches (Shelley Smith, South Carolina), and his 127 with the Dores is third among active coaches with their current program (Smith & Wes Hart, Alabama).
Dore Debuts
- Transfers Megan Hinnenkamp, Layla Armas and Lydia Ungashick made their Vanderbilt debuts on Wednesday against SMU, and freshman Lena Tusche made her first collegiate appearance.
- Armas played a full 90 in net, logging two saves, while Hinnenkamp, Tusche and Ungashick logged approximately half an hour each.
Hitting the Ground Running
- The season-opening thriller against SMU was the 9th victory in 12 season openers under Ambrose, including seven wins in the last eight years.
- In those last eight openers, the Dores have averaged 3.38 goals per game.