Vanderbilt sports is off to a strong start, and The Hustler Multimedia section has been right there alongside them. Take a look at some of our favorite moments below.
Cross country
The Commodore cross country season began the weekend of Sept. 2 with the Belmont Opener at Percy Warner Park. The Vanderbilt women finished first overall, with each member of the team finishing the race in under 19 minutes. The men weren’t far off, finishing second overall, due in large part to the performance of freshman Michael Schumacher.
Women’s soccer
Vanderbilt soccer cruised to a 6-0 victory over ETSU on Sept. 3. The Commodores outshot the Buccaneers 13-4 and notched their fifth consecutive shutout and win of the season.
The following week, the team drew with Lipscomb 1-1. The Bison’s goal in the second half ended the ‘Dore’s shutout streak at 497 minutes into the season.
“It shows we’ve got some work to do,” head coach Darren Ambrose said. “This start to the season we’ve had is great, but now we’ve got something we can go back to the drawing board and say ‘okay, we really need to pay attention to these things.’”
The team will host LSU for their SEC opener at home next Sunday, Sept. 18.
Football
Despite the 90% humidity and threat of inclement weather, Vandy fans showed out for the first home game of the season on Sept. 3. The Commodores defeated the Elon Phoenix 42-31, their second consecutive win of the season. After the game, head coach Clark Lea shared his future expectations for the team as they prepared to face Wake Forest.
“Progress is what we are going to mandate,” Lea said. “We are going to keep growing.”
The following weekend, Vanderbilt hosted Wake Forest at home during a wet Family Weekend. Students and parents braved the Nashville rain in their best ponchos and/or tailgate fits, jeered at the referees for non-calls and cheered on the ‘Dores, who ultimately fell 45-25 to the Demon Deacons.
The Commodores look to get back on their feet as they prepare to face Northern Illinois in DeKalb on Sept. 17.
