In the midst of midterms, org events and fall break, the Commodores took to the field in style, putting on strong performances across soccer, football and women’s tennis. Check out some of our favorite moments below!
Soccer
The Commodores drew 1-1 versus the Georgia Bulldogs on Oct. 6. They started fast, scoring their first goal just five minutes into the match. Vanderbilt maintained control through much of the first half, but a 50-yard lofted cross from Georgia evened the score. The Bulldogs started strong after the half and nearly scored, but an acrobatic save from goalkeeper Kate Devine kept the game tied at one. Her seven-save performance was instrumental in extending the team’s unbeaten streak to four.
Vanderbilt pulled out another SEC win on Oct. 14 when they defeated then-No. 24 South Carolina. They came out with a strong defense, limiting their opponents to one shot on target in the first half. The match remained scoreless until 20 minutes into the second half, when Gamecock striker Shea O’Rourke found the net. Just one minute later, Vanderbilt earned a penalty shot, and defender Ella Shamburger converted her third goal of the season, bringing the game to 1-1. After another Commodore goal from Raegen Kelley and four saves in the final 15 minutes of the game, Vanderbilt held on for the 2-1 victory.
Head coach Darren Ambrose commended his team’s grit and determination after the win over South Carolina.
“I’m really proud of them. It’s been a tough week. To turn around and give one of our best 90-minute performances toe-to-toe says a lot about the spirit they have,” Ambrose said.
Vanderbilt now sits at No. 2 in the SEC East rankings and will travel to Gainesville on Oct. 20 to face Florida.
Football
The Commodores hosted Ole Miss for this year’s homecoming game, showing flashes of greatness in the first half, but ultimately failing to maintain momentum. In his third career start, freshman quarterback AJ Swann completed 27 of 38 passes for 281 yards and 2 touchdowns. Running back Ray Davis rushed for 105 yards and a touchdown, and safety De’Rickey Wright garnered two interceptions. The first half saw the teams go back and forth, with the Commodores leading early in the game 10-3. Ole Miss quickly responded with a 61-yard touchdown pass. Vanderbilt then put together a strong drive that chewed up nearly nine minutes of the game clock and ended with a touchdown on 4th and goal. At the close of the first half, the Commodores led the Rebels 20-17.
The No. 9 Rebels came roaring back in the second half, accumulating 35 points via three rushing scores and two passing touchdowns of 71 and 72 yards, respectively. The Vanderbilt offense struggled against a stalwart defensive line, punting three times, fumbling once and turning the ball over on downs. The Commodores scored late in the game to end the 35-point Ole Miss run and completed a two-point conversion to finish the game at 52-28.
“We know that you have to play four quarters in a complete game to have a chance to get the result we want,” head coach Clark Lea said after the game. “We didn’t do that against a good team, and our margins are really thin. They were able to separate, and so we need to be better.”
Women’s tennis
The women’s tennis team posted a strong performance at the June Stewart Invitational. The three-day tournament took place from Oct. 7-9 at Vanderbilt’s Currey Tennis Center and saw the Commodores collecting 14 singles and 8 doubles wins during the weekend.
On Friday, Oct. 14—the first day of the tournament, Vanderbilt won all three doubles matches against Illinois and Middle Tennessee and garnered five straight-set wins over Purdue. The ladies’ momentum continued into Saturday, on which they won all five singles matches against Illinois, as well as two of their three doubles matches. On Sunday, the Commodores went 3-0 in doubles against Purdue, and Célia-Belle Mohr, Bridget Stammel, Sonya Macevi and Marcella Cruz each won their matches in straight sets.
“All-in-all, [I] thought it was a really solid weekend for us,” head coach Aleke Tsoubanos said. “We got a lot of really nice results, and I thought we competed really well as a group. I was very pleased with how we supported each other off the court and showed some really good spirit.”
Tsoubanos will look to build on her team’s momentum as they prepare for ITA Regional Championships in Knoxville on Oct. 20.
