The stage is set for Vanderbilt Soccer. Riding a six-game win streak and fully rested off a first-round bye, the Commodores are slated to face Alabama in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament at the Ashton Brosnaham Soccer Complex in Pensacola, Florida. Last year, the ‘Dores fell to Alabama in the first round of the SEC Tournament. This year, they seek to avenge that loss and move past a first-round tournament exit for the first time since 2022.
Vanderbilt will need to play some of its best soccer to win its first matchup against the Crimson Tide and then try to bring home its first SEC Tournament title since 2020. On the other side of that trophy is an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. With that said, let’s take a look at what the Commodores will have to do well in their game against Alabama — and in the tournament as a whole — to come out on top.
The crimson scoring machine
Alabama’s offense is stellar. Head coach Wes Hart’s squad finished the regular season ranked first in the SEC in shots (325), second in assists (36) and third in goals (39). The Tide’s potent scoring attack is led by superstar forward Gianna Paul. The senior from Huntington Station, New York, logged a team-high 10 goals and 6 assists during her 2025 campaign, adding to an already decorated career that boasts program records in goals (35), shots (251) and shots on goal (103). The Hermann Trophy candidate’s 3.94 shots per game led the SEC, and her 26 points tied Vanderbilt’s Sydney Watts for the conference lead.
Paul creates a formidable duo with neighboring forward Larkin Thomason, who recorded eight goals and four assists in 2025. The Arizona native also converted all three of Alabama’s penalty kicks. Hart’s third offensive weapon is midfielder Nadia Ramadan, who registered five goals in the regular season, including a last-minute equalizer against then-No. 3 Duke.
Vanderbilt’s defense, anchored by All-SEC First Team member Hannah McLaughlin and SEC Goalkeeper of the Year Sara Wojdelko, allowed just eight goals all season. If the Black and Gold wish to calm the Tide, they must continue their stellar defensive play and contain the Crimson scoring machine of Paul, Thomason and Ramadan.
First-year phenoms
All-SEC Freshman Team members Reagan Pentz and Olivia Stafford saw major minutes for Vanderbilt head coach Darren Ambrose’s squad this fall. Pentz, a midfielder from Broadview Heights, Ohio, scored her first career goal in the Commodores’ 2-0 win over rival Tennessee. She also recorded six assists in the regular season, tying for the team lead and ranking sixth overall in the SEC. Pentz’s scrappy defense, tactical passing and unrelenting hustle encapsulate the culture that Ambrose has built at Vanderbilt. In the biggest game of her collegiate career thus far, the first-year midfielder must win 50-50 balls, execute slide tackles and complete passes to the feet of standout forward Watts to punch the Commodores’ ticket to the semifinals.
Stafford, a forward from Arlington, Virginia, enjoyed a highly productive regular season, logging four goals and six assists while starting 15 of 17 games for the Commodores. The winger is immensely strong and boasts quick acceleration down the right sideline, allowing her to consistently fly past defenders and generate quality shots on goal.
Although Alabama goalkeeper Madi Munguia recorded 46 saves in the regular season — good for fourth in the SEC — her .676 save percentage ranked ninth in the conference. If Stafford can storm down the right wing and unleash a strong shot toward the upper corner of the Alabama goal, it could prove to be the difference-maker for the Commodores.
Power surge
The blueprint for Vanderbilt making a run in the SEC Tournament is simple: score as many goals as possible. While this may seem like an elementary answer, the numbers back it up. Vanderbilt holds a 4-3 record when it scores one goal, opposed to a 9-0 record when it nets two goals.
The Black and Gold must make it their mission not only to net one goal but to add another as soon as they can. When Vanderbilt plays from ahead, it performs better and more confidently. That was evident in a big win over in state rival Tennessee, when the Commodores jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first half and added an insurance goal in the 81st minute, allowing their defense a cushion to blank one of the most potent offenses in the nation.
Vanderbilt should look no further than its junior signal-caller and the newly named SEC Forward of the Year, Sydney Watts, for this production. Watts has been electric in SEC play, and Vanderbilt will need her to continue her run in the tournament. She racked up 66% of her goals in SEC play after a relatively quiet pre-conference showing. The Lenexa, Kansas, native has been a staple for Ambrose’s squad for the last two years. She has never, however, scored a goal at the SEC Tournament — the ‘Dores just missed the tournament in 2023, and in 2024 she did not log a point against Alabama in the first round. This is despite scoring two goals across Vanderbilt’s historic Sweet 16 run last year. Will Watts finally break through and find the back of the net in Pensacola?
Strong through the middle
A staple of Ambrose’s team is an almost impenetrable midfield, and this year has proved no different. The quartet of Pentz, Courtney Jones, Ally Bollig and Maci Teater has been outstanding for the Commodores this season. Their efforts have largely contained opposing attacks in the neutral zone while deftly maintaining possession of the ball. This has resulted in the ‘Dores dominating possession time in their conference wins, 57% to 43%.
Just as Vanderbilt wins when it scores at least two goals, it also wins when it dominates time of possession. When the Commodores control the ball, they play relaxed and fluid. Their attack becomes more tactful and patient instead of desperate and undisciplined. In a conference full of offensive weapons, the Black and Gold will need to continue their midfield dominance to bring a trophy back home to West End.
No. 2-seed Vanderbilt will start its quest for the SEC Championship trophy on Nov. 4 against No. 10-seed Alabama at 11:30 a.m. CST at the Brosnaham Soccer Complex in Pensacola, Florida. The bracket for the tournament can be found on the SEC website.
