No. 3/2 Vanderbilt thumps Xavier, 4-1, to finish nonconference play 7-0
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – No. 3/2 Vanderbilt soccer capped their perfect nonconference season with an emphatic 4-1 win over Xavier on Sunday evening.
The Commodores move to 7-0 for just the second time in program history, doing so for the first time since 2019 when they won seven in a row en route to an SEC Championship. They now have 13 regular season wins in a row dating back to 2025.
After a cagey, evenly matched opening half-hour, Vanderbilt struck first in the 35th minute through Melania Fullerton, with Sydney Watts and Lena Tusche picking up assists. It was a particularly productive week for the trio, which combined for 14 points (Fullerton and Watts had two goals and two assists each; Tusche had four assists).
Four minutes later, Xavier defender Brooklyn Miltenberger was sent off for denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity for Megan Hinnenkamp. The Dores could not convert the ensuing penalty but seized on their numbers advantage as the game went on, scoring three times in the second half through Reagan Pentz, Watts and Hinnenkamp.
Watts’ 60th-minute goal was her eighth of the season, extending her scoring streak to all seven games this season. She sits alone in third place with 33 Vanderbilt goals.
Xavier (2-2) converted a penalty in the 78th minute through Peyton Kohls. After logging six shots to the Musketeers’ four in the first half, Vanderbilt out-shot the visitors, 17-2, in an utterly dominant second half.
The Dores’ SEC journey will begin on Thursday night in Athens, taking on Georgia at 6 p.m. on SEC Network.
