HOUSTON – No. 3 Vanderbilt soccer passed another difficult road test on Sunday afternoon, scoring two second-half goals to defeat Houston, 2-1.
The Commodores (5-0) fell behind for the first time in 2026, conceding in the ninth minute. They chased an equalizer for 38 minutes and found one less than two minutes into the second half through Sydney Watts. 20 minutes later, it was Watts again who fired home a rebound from a Lena Tusche shot to seal the win for the visitors.
It’s the sixth brace of the senior’s illustrious Vanderbilt career, the first since the 2025 SEC Tournament semifinals against Georgia. Her 31 career goals now rank fourth in program history.
It ended up becoming a performance that deserved a victory for Vanderbilt, which outshot the Cougars (2-1-2), 18-6, including 7-1 in the second half. Watts and Reagan Pentz took five shots each, and seven total shots were on frame for the Dores.
Alexa Gianoplus delivered in net again, making four saves including a crucial one-on-one as Houston looked to double its lead in the first half.
Vanderbilt will be back home on Thursday to take on Tennessee Tech at 6 p.m. CT.