September 17, 2026

Conference Home Opener

After 12 days away from home, No. 4/3 Vanderbilt is back to host Texas A&M at 8 p.m. Friday

No. 4/3 Vanderbilt (7-0-1, 0-0-1 SEC) vs. Texas A&M (4-4, 0-1 SEC)
Friday, Sept. 18 • 8 p.m. CT

Vanderbilt Soccer Complex • Nashville, Tenn.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- No. 4/3 Vanderbilt returns home to take on Texas A&M on Friday at 8 p.m.

The Commodores drew at Georgia, 1-1, on Sept. 10 in the SEC opener, their third game in seven days.

Series History

Vanderbilt is 6-10 in the all-time series against the Aggies but have won two in a row and three of the last four.
After Vandy won the series’ first two matchups, Texas A&M won seven in a row from 1995 to 2015.

The Opponent

Texas A&M dropped their conference opener to Kentucky, a 3-2 thriller in Lexington where a late Aggie penalty was denied.
They are 4-4 in year one of head coach Bobby Shuttleworth, who won two national titles as assistant coach at Florida State.
Like Vanderbilt, they also picked up a victory at Rice, a 2-1 decision on Aug. 12.

Scouting Report

The Aggies have the 52nd-best scoring offense in the country with 2.25 goals per game. Freshman Ireland Churchill is tied for fourth in the conference with seven goals, including two in the SEC opener in Lexington. Senior Trinity Buchanan has added six goals and three assists.
Freshman keeper Makenna August has started every match this season, logging an SEC-best 29 saves in eight matches.

Setting the Tone

Vanderbilt is seventh in the country in goals per game (3.63), fourth in assists (4.25) and fifth in points (11.25).
They are one of six SEC schools and 25 overall without a loss in 2026, ranking third in winning percentage (.938).

Sydney’s Scoring Surge

Even by her lofty standards, senior forward Sydney Watts is on a production heater to start 2026.
With eight goals and four assists in eight games, the All-American is sixth nationally in points per game (2.5).
She is third in program history and sixth among active D-I players with 33 career goals.

Alpha Assisters

Freshman Lena Tusche (six) and sophomore Olivia Stafford (five) rank first and second, respectively, on the SEC's assist leaderboard.
Tusche tied the freshman record with three assists in a 7-0 rout of Tennessee Tech on Sept. 3.

Best of the Best

The win over Memphis on Aug. 21 was the ninth win in 12 top-25 battles Vanderbilt has played since the 2025 season.
The Dores went 4-2 in top-25 regular season battles in 2025, won three more en route to the SEC Tournament title and went 2-1 against ranked competition in the NCAA Tournament.
At home, they are 7-1 in top-25 matchups.

Protecting The Plex