NASHVILLE, Tenn. – No. 3/4 Vanderbilt soccer cruised to a 4-1 victory over No. 21/20 Memphis on Friday night at Vanderbilt Soccer Complex.
It was a resounding victory for the Commodores (3-0), who led for 77 minutes after Courtney Jones opened the scoring with a long-range goal, capping a great team move that saw Melania Fullerton and Sydney Watts claim assists. Memphis (1-2) thought they found the equalizer through Yuna Nagata, but the goal was overturned for shielding the goalkeeper from an offside position.
On the cusp of halftime, Jones’ corner kick caused chaos in the Memphis penalty area, and the ball ricocheted off a Tiger and into the net to give Vanderbilt a 2-0 advantage. Less than four minutes of game time later, Margo Matula was on the end of another Jones cross to make it 3-0 in the 47th minute.
Watts found the scoresheet in the 54th minute, getting on the end of an outside-of-the-foot pass from Reagan Pentz for her third goal in as many games. The senior is now tied for sixth in program history with 28 career goals (Raegan Kelly).
The Tigers tallied a goal in the 88th minute from Natalie Dvorakova. Vanderbilt only took eight shots but put them all on frame, forcing five saves out of Memphis keeper Ava Galani.
In their first top-25 battle of the season, the Dores improve to 9-3 in ranked matches since 2025, including a 7-1 mark at home. They will go on their first road trip of the season next week, taking on Rice in Houston on Thursday at 7:00 p.m.