No. 5 Vanderbilt unloads for three goals after halftime in Senior Night victory
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – No. 5 Vanderbilt scored four goals on Sunday night, ending the first week of the season with an emphatic 4-0 victory over ETSU.
Despite the lopsided scoreline, the game hung in the balance for much of the night. Olivia Stafford broke through with a tidy finish in the 26th minute, but the score remained 1-0 until Melania Fullerton found the top left corner to double the advantage on her Senior Night.
The floodgates opened after the Commodores (2-0) doubled their lead; less than two minutes later, another senior was on the scoresheet as Sydney Watts punched home a cross from freshman Hailey Perkins. It was the first assist of Perkins’ career in her collegiate debut, and Watts moved up to seventh with what was her 27th career goal for Vanderbilt.
The freshman from Seattle was a game-changer down the right wing in the second half, playing a part in all three second-half goals and claiming two assists, including the final goal which came via sophomore Alexis Smith, the first of her young career. Fellow freshman Lena Tusche also picked up an assist as the Commodores hit four goals for the second time in as many matches this season.
In addition to Perkins, four other freshmen made their debuts in the Black & Gold: Lawson Hopkins, Allison Kleiner, Nina Laba and Ana Ramirez. ETSU (0-1) registered a shot on target in the second minute of the match but did not log another shot as Vanderbilt tallied 19 and forced eight saves.
Layla Armas and Alexa Gianoplus played 45 minutes each in net to pick up the clean sheet, the first action in almost three years for the fifth-year captain Gianoplus.
Vanderbilt will end their three-game homestand on Friday night against No. 21 Memphis, kicking off at 6 p.m. CT and broadcasting nationally on SEC Network.
