No. 3/1 Vanderbilt (11-0-1, 4-0-1 SEC) at Missouri (3-7-2, 0-4-1 SEC)
Friday, Oct. 9 • 6 p.m. CT
Aubrey J. Walton Soccer Stadium • Columbia, Mo.
SEC Network+ • Live Stats • Game Notes
COLUMBIA, Mo. -- No. 3/1 Vanderbilt is on the road for a Friday night showdown at Missouri.
The Commodores (11-0-1, 4-0-1 SEC) have won four matches in a row after drawing their SEC opener at Georgia. This is the penultimate road game of the regular season, with three home games left and one away test at No. 5 Alabama.
The Opponent
- While Vanderbilt is competing for the top spot in the conference, the Tigers are fighting for a spot in the SEC Tournament, which includes 12 of the 16 conference teams.
- They picked up their first point of the conference season on Friday, a thrilling 1-1 result against Arkansas in Fayetteville, to move into 14th place.
Series History
- Vanderbilt holds a 7-6-3 advantage in the all-time series, with all seven wins coming in the last eight meetings.
- Last season, Courtney Jones scored twice in the first half to power a 2-0 victory in Nashville.
Scouting Report
- Missouri has an even goal differential on the year, with 15 goals scored and 15 goals allowed. Landis Canada, Rylie Morse and Lana Adams lead the team with exactly three goals and one assist each.
- It will be either Kate Phillips or Riley Wilkerson in net, with Wilkerson starting the last match after Phillips started the previous two.
Record Ranking
- Vanderbilt is No. 3 in the United Soccer Coaches poll and No. 1 in TopDrawerSoccer, their first top ranking in program history.
- They have been ranked No. 1 in four of the last five TDS polls and reached No. 2 in the coaches' poll on Sept. 8.
- 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.
Pacing the Nation
- Vanderbilt is third in the country in goals per game (3.58), first in assists (3.92) and second in points (11.08).
- They are one of four schools without a loss in 2026, and the only SEC squad. They lead the country with a winning percentage of .958.
Sydney’s Scoring Surge
- Even by her lofty standards, senior forward Sydney Watts is on a production heater to start 2026.
- With 13 goals and four assists in 11 games, the All-American is second nationally with 30 points.
- She is second in program history and sixth among active D-I players with 38 career goals. She set a program record by scoring in seven consecutive games to open the season.
Chasing History
- This Vandy attack is in the running to be the best in program history, with 43 goals through 12 games.
- Their biggest competition is the 1994 squad, which went 18-5 and scored a school-record 77 goals en route to an SEC regular season and tournament title. Through 12 games, they had 44 goals.
Best of the Best
- The win at No. 9 Tennessee on Sept. 27 was the 10th win in 13 top-25 battles Vanderbilt has played since the 2025 season. It was also the first top-10 SEC win on the road since they defeated the Lady Vols in 2018.
- 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 7-0 at home in 2026.
- Since 2022, they are 40-5-8 at home.
Alpha Assisters
- Sophomore Olivia Stafford and freshman Lena Tusche are first and second in the conference with eight and seven assists, respectively.
- Tusche tied a freshman record with three assists against Tennessee Tech on Sept. 3, while Stafford has logged an assist in six of the opening 12 games.