No. 3/1 Vanderbilt (8-0-1, 1-0-1 SEC) at Ole Miss (7-3, 0-2 SEC)
Thursday, Sept. 24 • 7 p.m. CT
Ole Miss Soccer Stadium • Oxford, Miss.
ESPN+ • Live Stats • Game Notes
No. 3/1 Vanderbilt (8-0-1, 1-0-1 SEC) at No. 9/6 Tennessee (6-0-2, 1-0-1 SEC)
Sunday, Sept. 27 • 11 a.m. CT
Regal Soccer Stadium • Knoxville, Tenn.
ESPNU • Live Stats • Game Notes
OXFORD, Miss. -- No. 3/1 Vanderbilt is on the road twice this week, taking on Ole Miss Thursday night at 7 p.m. in Oxford before heading east to Knoxville for a ranked battle with No. 9/6 Tennessee at 11 a.m. CT on ESPNU Sunday.
The Opponents
- Ole Miss is looking for their first conference win after a strong nonconference slate, going 7-1 in the first year of head coach Todd Shulenberger.
- The one opponent the Dores and Rebels share this season is Memphis, who won in Oxford by a score of 3-1. Vandy defeated Memphis, 4-1, in Nashville on Aug. 21.
- Tennessee and Vanderbilt are two of the conference's unbeaten teams (Oklahoma).
- They won at LSU in the conference opener before drawing at Texas; they also earned a draw at No. 12 Virginia in the nonconference season.
Scouting the Rebels
- The Rebels had one of the nation’s stoutest defenses during the nonconference season, keeping clean sheets in six of eight games. It has regressed in SEC play, as they’ve given up seven goals combined to Auburn and Mississippi State. Their defense doesn’t require much of keeper Taylor Prigge, who is 329th in the NCAA and 13th in the SEC with 1.67 saves per match.
- Four players -- Ava Ghoreishi, Sarah Granno, Teaghan Irvin and Becca Skinner -- have registered exactly two goals and one assist.
Scouting the Lady Vols
- Tennessee ranks 24th in the nation with a +16 goal differential, fueled by a top-30 scoring offense.
- Players who missed all or most of the 2025 season are delivering in the Lady Vol attack: Missouri transfer Kylee Simmons has a team-high four goals after missing all of last season, and Shae O'Rourke has produced three goals and three assists after missing conference play last year with a leg injury.
Record Ranking
- Vanderbilt is No. 3 in the United Soccer Coaches poll and No. 1 in TopDrawerSoccer, their first top ranking in program history.
- The Commodores are the first team on campus to be ranked No. 1 in a national poll since bowling received the top ranking in December 2024.
- They join bowling, baseball, women’s basketball, women’s tennis, and men’s and women’s golf as programs to receive the No. 1 ranking.
Setting the Tone
• Vanderbilt is third in the country in each of the following statistics: goals per game (3.78), assists (4.33) and points (11.69).
• They are one of three SEC schools and 16 overall without a loss in 2026, leading the nation in winning percentage (.944).
Sydney’s Scoring Surge
• Even by her lofty standards, senior forward Sydney Watts is on a production heater to start 2026.
• With nine goals and four assists in eight games, the All-American is third nationally with 22 points.
• She is second in program history and sixth among active D-I players with 34 career goals. She set a program record by scoring in seven consecutive games to open the season.
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
• The Dores went 11-1-1 at home last season and are 6-0 at home in 2026.
• Since 2022, they are 39-5-8 at home.
Alpha Assisters
• Sophomore Olivia Stafford and freshman Lena Tusche are tied for second nationally and first in the SEC with seven assists apiece.
• Tusche tied a freshman record with three assists against Tennessee Tech on Sept. 3, while Stafford has logged an assist in five of the opening nine games.