By Aidan Corley
State bragging rights will head back to Nashville as No. 9 Tennessee (6-1-3, 1-1-2 SEC) drops its first game of the season to No. 3 Vanderbilt (10-0-1, 3-0-1 SEC), losing 3-1.
The Commodores breached the walls of a fortress where other teams have been lucky to come away with even a goal. Entering the match, the Lady Vols had not lost a regular season game at Regal Stadium since October 2024 conceding just 3 goals in the process. Vanderbilt did that all in 90 minutes of work.
The result will no doubt leave a bad taste in Tennessee’s mouth, but they should not let it linger. The performance was one of the most complete the Lady Vols have had all season, the cruel fine margins of the game happened to tip in Vanderbilt’s favor.
“Disappointed in the result today, came up short in a couple moments. However, a really positive response from our team after Thursday night in terms of putting together a solid 90 minutes of work and competing at a really high level,” head coach Joe Kirt said. “We’ve got to finish plays, but our team left it out on the field. It’s what we asked of them and they did that against a good Vanderbilt team that punished us in a couple moments.”
The first half played out like a chess match. Tense, strategic, and neither team giving much of an inch.
Vanderbilt opened the game on the front foot with some early corners and free kicks in dangerous areas, but Tennessee quickly grew into the game. A sense of comfort seemed to come over the Lady Vols once they were able to string some passes together that never left them during the first 45 minutes.
Florida transfer Kai Tsakiris was the one causing problems in a Tennessee shirt, and she had a golden opportunity presented to her when Shae O’Rourke clipped a ball into her in the 13th minute.
Tsakiris was all alone 1v1 with the keeper and space in front of her in what felt like it had to end in a goal for Tennessee. Vanderbilt defender Mary Beth McLaughlin had a masterful piece of individual defending, making up the ground and getting more ball than man on a last-ditch tackle.
Tennessee had more than a grip on the game and was frustrating a Vanderbilt team that had been largely unchallenged during the season. The Commodores were resorting to desperation attempts at goal and good opportunities were missing uncharacteristically high and wide.
The two sides went into the break all square and Kirt would’ve undoubtedly been the happier of the two coaches.
The chessboard got thrown off the table in the second half and the game fully came to life.
Some fans were still trying to get comfortably in their seats when Vanderbilt leading scorer Sydney Watts broke the game open. A simple passing movement carved right through Tennessee’s backline and Watts was completely free at the back post to put the ball in the back of the net in the 46th minute.
“Second half they come out and we just don’t make a play in the first two minutes and give up an early goal,” Kirt said. “I think after that, by and large, we had most of the game to start that second half.”
The Lady Vols thought they had immediately responded through Kylee Simmons. A ball was crossed into the box with players from both sides attempting to make a play on it. Vanderbilt keeper Alexa Gianoplus ended up on the floor, and Simmons ended up with the ball and an empty net staring at her.
Simmons put the ball in the goal, but the play was already blown dead by the referee rather than letting it play out and reviewing for a potential foul after. Since the whistle had already been blown for a foul on the keeper the rule is that there was nothing to review.
“I certainly thought it was her own player that was going to compete for the ball. The center blew the whistle so he couldn’t review it. He said he blew it before the ball crossed the line,” Kirt said. “But again, it’s our competitiveness, our grittiness, that’s in the box making stuff happen, and that’s part of it.”
Tennessee continued to have control over the game and the equalizer didn’t feel far away. Ines Derrien struck the post in the 55th minute following a piece of play by Tsakiris where she chested down a long switch, beat her defender, and saw Derrien in space in front of her. Tennessee was humming.
Just five minutes later, and out of nothing, Vanderbilt’s lead doubled once again through Watts.
A ball over the top was misjudged by Milee Zych, and from then the Commodores were 2v1 with Cayden Norris in goal. Watts calmly rounded Norris and had one of her easiest goals for Vanderbilt’s second.
It was game on again in the 73rd minute when Tennessee pulled one back. Ayva Jordan’s shot from the top of the box was saved and parried only as far as Derrien who was by herself in the box for an easy finish.
Vanderbilt iced the game just four minutes later. A smart, improvised flick from Megan Hinnenkamp off of a cross from the right wing sealed it. Vanderbilt showed why they are one of the nation’s top dogs. Even when getting outplayed they were clinical enough to leave with all three points comfortably.
There were lots of positives to take for Tennessee in a game where they left empty-handed.
“I think their approach to the game, their willingness to work, to compete, the physicality, it was probably one of our most consistent performances this year,” Kirt said.
UP NEXT: Tennessee will look to bounce back on a road trip, first taking on Auburn on Oct. 1.