First Conference Test

No. 2/1 Vanderbilt opens SEC play at Georgia Thursday evening

A soccer player in a gold uniform dribbles the ball on a field at night, with a building displaying "Vanderbilt Commodores" in the background.A soccer player in a gold uniform dribbles the ball on a field at night, with a building displaying "Vanderbilt Commodores" in the background.
Vandy Athletics

No. 2/1 Vanderbilt (7-0) at Georgia (3-2-2)
Thursday, Sept. 10 • 6 p.m. CT

Turner Soccer Complex • Athens, Ga.

SEC Network • Live Stats • Game Notes

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- No. 2/1 Vanderbilt opens Southeastern Conference play on Thursday evening, taking on Georgia in Athens at 6 p.m. on SEC Network.

The Commodores (7-0) completed a perfect nonconference season and received a No. 1 ranking for the first time in program history from TopDrawerSoccer.

The Opponent

  • It was a whirlwind of nonconference slate for the Bulldogs, who were picked third in the SEC preseason poll after finishing third last season.
  • After two straight draws to open the season, they returned home and beat James Madison, 6-0, in front of a collegiate soccer record 25,433 fans at Sanford Stadium. Since then, they have beaten Mercer and Milwaukee but marginally lost to Florida State and TCU to fall out of the top 25.
  • Though they won’t break another attendance record, it’s sure to be a rowdy crowd in just the third game of the season at Turner Soccer Complex, against their highest-ranked opponent this year.

Scouting Report

  • The Bulldogs rank 64th nationally in shots per game (15.86) but are 324th in shot accuracy, with only 34.2% of their shots finding the frame.
  • UCF and Memphis transfer Honoka Hamano leads the team with three goals, and MTSU graduate transfer Emma Petersen has added two goals and two assists. Mya Townes also has three goals and has been a teammate of Olivia Stafford’s on the USWNT U-19 squads over the summer.

Off and Running

  • Vanderbilt is fourth in the country in goals per game (4.00), third in assists (4.71) and fourth in points (12.71).
  • They are one of six programs without a loss or draw in 2026, and the only SEC team.
  • Dating back to the 2025 regular season, when they won the final six games, the Dores have won 13 straight regular season contests.

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 seven games, the All-American is second nationally in points per game (2.86).
  • She is third in program history and sixth among active D-I players with 33 career goals.

SEC Accolades

  • Melania Fullerton and Lena Tusche received SEC Offensive and Freshman Player of the Week honors, respectively, on Monday.
  • Fullerton had two goals and two assists in the two wins over Tennessee Tech and Xavier, while Tusche had four assists and now has a conference-leading six.

Starting Strong

  • Vanderbilt is looking to start 8-0 for the first time in program history. In 2019, they began a championship season with a program-record seven straight wins, the only other time they won seven games to open the year

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 5-0 at home in 2026.

• Since 2022, they are 38-5-8 at home.