No. 21 Vanderbilt vs No. 4/8 Tennessee
Sunday, Oct. 19 • 4 p.m. • ESPN 2
Vanderbilt Soccer Complex • Nashville, Tenn.
Series History
• Vanderbilt leads the all-time series 17-12-5, with the last match up coming last season in Knoxville resulting in a 1-1 draw
• The Commodores haven’t defeated the Vols since 2021 which had a 2-1 decision in over time
• In Music City, the Commodores are 6-5-2 overall
• Under head coach Darren Ambrose, the programs have met 12 times, and boast a 7-3-2 record
• Vanderbilt and Tennessee are the only teams in the SEC with at least 11 wins on the year
The Opponent
• Tennessee enters the contest 11-1-3 (5-1-2 SEC) and are coming off back-to-back 0-0 draws vs. Florida on Thursday night and at Oklahoma on Oct. 9
• The Volunteers lone conference loss came in a 3-2 decision in favor of Mississippi State mid-September
• Tennessee leads the conference in goals against average (.33) and shutouts (12)
Scouting Report
• Alivia Scott leads the Volunteers with six goals, five of which came against Eastern Kentucky in August, marking the most goals ever scored in one half in program history and the shortest span in which a Tennessee player has tallied five goals. Scott’s last goal came against Ole Miss on Oct. 5
• Ally Brown and Mac Midgley have each registered four assists, a team high. Brown was placed on TopDrawer’s Midseason Top 100 Players coming at #14. Midgley has also scored once to enter the match with six points
• Jenna Stayart leads the way with 13 points off five goals and three assists, two of which came against North Carolina
• Cayden Norris is ranked tied for second nationally in shutouts this year with 10 and has the second-best goals against average in the country with .373 and has made 35 saves
Last Time Out
• No. 21 Vanderbilt soccer posted four first-half goals on the way to a 5-1 road victory over RV Mississippi State on Thursday night at the MSU Soccer Field. It marks the first loss for the Bulldogs at home since 2023.
• Five different Commodores contributed to the scoring as Vanderbilt (11-3-1, 5-2-1 SEC) notched its fourth straight SEC win and fifth victory in its last six matches. Vanderbilt’s 11 wins mark the most since the 2022 season and is the fourth time under Darren Ambrose reaching the mark
• Maci Teater got the Dores started early, scoring in the fourth minute off a cross from Olivia Stafford at the top of the box. Just nine minutes later, Grace Freeman tallied her first goal in black and gold to double the Commodore lead. Sydney Watts netted her 10th goal of the season in the 36th minute off a feed from Vivian Akyirem. Two minutes later, the duo switched roles as Akyirem converted a pass from Watts and Mary Beth McLaughlin to make it 4–0 before halftime
• Vandy’s four goals in the first half marked the most first-half goals in an SEC contest since 2018 against Georgia
• Mississippi State (9-4-1, 4-3-1 SEC) pulled one back in the 50th minute on a strike from Kyra Taylor, but Vanderbilt capped the night in the 78th when Courtney Jones fired a free kick from home her sixth goal of the season to close out the 5–1 win
10 Scorers, 12 Dishers
• So far this season the Commodores have had 10 individuals find the back of the net, five of which have on multiple occasions
• Sydney Watts leads the pack with a career-high 10 goals, while Courtney Jones has six and Olivia Stafford has four. Maci Teater has three while, Vivian Akyirem, Adysen Armenta and Susanna Soderman each have two
• The Dores have dished 27 assists this year, with 12 different getters
• Freshman Reagan Pentz and Olivia Stafford lead the way with five each and Maci Teater and Mary Beth McLaughlin have three apiece. Courtney Jones, Vivian Akyirem and Sydney Watts have each dished two
• Vandy has outscored its opponent 34-8 and out dished its opponent 27-4
