After a 0-0 draw against No. 21 Georgetown in its season-opener, Vanderbilt Soccer returned to Nashville for its home opener against in-state rival Belmont. The Commodores were welcomed back to the Plex for the first time in 2024 by a beautiful evening complemented by a quintessential Nashville sunset. It was smooth sailing for Vanderbilt, winning the game 5-0.
The game kicked off just a shade after 7:00 p.m. CDT, with the visiting Bruins retaining possession to start. Vanderbilt forced a possession change nearly immediately and cruised early on offense, generating two shots from Addie Porter and Ella Eggleston, as well as a corner kick, within the game’s opening minutes.
“We asked our kids to before the game to keep the game moving, to never let them get settled,” head coach Darren Ambrose said after the game.
Just four minutes into the first period, Eggleston went down with what seemed to be a lower leg injury, exiting the game and heading straight to the medical group. Courtney Jones replaced her. Vanderbilt soldiered on despite the injury, making consistent forays into the attacking third. Little came from these efforts, as Vanderbilt earned two more corners but couldn’t land a shot on net. After the game, Ambrose provided some insight into Eggleston’s condition.
“She’s fine. It was out of precaution. It was just a little pinch. We could have put her back in, but we just decided it was not worth it with a game on Sunday,” said Ambrose.
Still, the energy was clearly in Vanderbilt’s favor, and a Julianne Leskauskas shot from just outside of the box, despite being saved, marked Vanderbilt’s best chance through the early stages of the game.
Sure enough, Vanderbilt broke through. After a shot-on-goal from Jones got deflected and batted around, Porter took a creative touch to blow by the defender and then knocked in a sensational goal. The senior used her right foot to guide the ball over the outstretched hands of the keeper and into the top left corner of the net.
Vanderbilt gave Belmont little time to catch its breath, getting right back on the attack and consistently keeping the ball inside Belmont’s half. An exceptionally creative run from Leskauskas yielded a shot attempt that went just wide, but Vanderbilt got the ball right back and stayed aggressive.
The onslaught didn’t end there, as Vanderbilt capitalized on a batted-around ball after a corner kick. Abi Brighton put the ball in perfect position, where it was then scuffled around and ended up finding the net off of the foot of a Belmont Bruin. Twenty minutes into the game, the Commodores boasted a 2-0 lead.
The rest of the half seemed to be a lot of the same – Belmont largely struggled to get the ball out of its half, and Vanderbilt continued to apply pressure. As the clock continued to tick down in the first half, Vanderbilt made a handful of substitutions, subbing some of its first years and less-experienced players in for its veterans. By the end of the first half, it seemed as though no amount of changes on Belmont’s side would bring it back into the game. Vanderbilt stayed confidently in the driver’s seat, and the first half concluded with the scoreboard flashing 2-0.
As the sun fully set and the second half of the game kicked off, Alex Wagner made a sharp run down the heart of the defense before finding Melanie Fullerton. Fullerton then dished it out to Maci Teater for a shot on goal that the Belmont keeper deflected out. The Commodores would not be denied for long, though.
Vanderbilt found its third goal 50 minutes into the game. A sharp run and eventual shot-on-goal from Jones was met with a diving save from Amanda Waggoner. Still, the ball bounced perfectly into the foot of Caroline Betts, who slotted it into the bottom right corner of the net. Jones was credited with the assist.
When a team dominates in possession, goal-scoring opportunities simply keep coming. Vanderbilt embodied this tonight. Sydney Watts found a ball bouncing around in the box and fired it to the bottom-right part of the goal, marking the Commodores’ fourth score of the night.
With approximately 10 minutes remaining in the final period, Fullerton fired an absolute missile from just inside the box, freezing Waggoner and putting goal number five in the net. The goal was created thanks to some nifty teamwork from Porter and Nyela Calnek, who were awarded with the assists.
The most important takeaway for the Commodores seemed to be their offensive creativity, something that has lacked in previous years. Through balls and runs were aplenty throughout this game, creating a bevy of offensive chances. For a team that hasn’t always found the net consistently in Ambrose’s tenure, a dominant victory like this was certainly a welcome sight.
“We’ve said that this is about reestablishing ourselves as a presence in the SEC. What’s success? We’re an SEC Tournament team. We’re an NCAA Tournament team. That’s where they want to go, and they have the ability to do that,” Ambrose said.
Sara Wojdelko also added her second clean sheet in as many games this season.
It was a supremely well-rounded performance for Vanderbilt, as all five of its goals came from five different players. Vanderbilt will continue its seven-game homestand and look to stay unbeaten against St. Mary’s during a Sunday matinee on Aug. 25 at 1 p.m. CDT.
