After an upset victory over then-No. 12 Notre Dame on February 19, Vanderbilt coach Beth Hewitt wanted to keep the ball rolling.
“Post-Notre Dame, the biggest challenge for our staff was making sure that the team didn’t think the season was done at that point,” Hewitt said. “It’s a great win for the program and for the seniors’ legacy and turning things around, but it was important for us to go up against another awesome team — Elon — and be able to get the job done after such an important win.”
The Commodores did just that, handily taking down Elon 17-11 to secure their first win over the Phoenix since 2016. The victory continues Vanderbilt’s hot streak, putting the program at 3-0 for the first time since 2019. This mark is “everything you want” at this point in the season, Hewitt said.
“If you told me we’d be 3-0 during preseason, I’d be pretty psyched about that,” Hewitt said. “We worked really hard over that month or so to get ourselves ready. I always feel like [at] the start of the season, the team’s figuring things out, the coaching staff [is trying to] know what the new tools we have are. We couldn’t be happier to be where we’re at right now.”
The Commodores came out hot against Elon, scoring five straight in the first eight minutes of the matchup. But the Phoenix quickly answered, tallying six unanswered goals to lead the game. At the half, the teams were tied 7.
From there, Vanderbilt made a range of adjustments. On attack, the Commodores shifted from focusing on fast and slow breaks to ball movement and breaking Elon’s zone defense, senior midfielder Bri Gross said. The team switched up its defense, Hewitt said, trying to figure out the best system to stymie the Phoenix’s offense.
These changes paved the way to an explosive second half for Vanderbilt. The Commodores outscored the Phoenix 6-1 in the third quarter — featuring goals by five different scorers — en route to a six-goal victory.
Vanderbilt’s second-half outburst against Elon continued a season-long trend of strong performances in the final 30 minutes. The Commodores outscored Liberty 7-4 in the second half of their season opener to secure an 18-13 victory. Against Notre Dame, Vanderbilt staged a second-half comeback, scoring eight goals to narrowly win 14-12. This determination during the final 30 minutes is a welcome change from years past, Gross said.
“In the second half, in years previously, we haven’t been able to flip that switch and we’ll let teams hang with us a little longer,” Gross said. “But this year, the team has a different mentality of a bit more confidence. We know we’re better than these teams and we can put them away and should put them away.”
These second-half drives have been powered by a deep, well-rounded roster. The Commodores currently have 38 players, a larger number than usual because of some players taking graduate years. Thirty-one athletes took the field against Elon. Gross said bringing in talented players off the bench has been an important component of Vanderbilt’s success, allowing them to utilize fresh players while their opponents grow tired.
This depth has sometimes made things hard on the coaching staff, who must figure out who their “hot hand” is each game, Hewitt said. But the larger, more balanced roster has been especially coachable and excels at executing, which Hewitt said has been key to their success.
“On any given day, anyone can step up,” Hewitt said. “That’s hard for players that have been with us for four years and have spent 60 minutes on the field that [now] might be seeing 40 minutes of playing time, but it gives one of their teammates an opportunity to get on the field and make an impact. Every day in practice the competition level is so high because everybody’s getting an opportunity to get their shot.”
NUMBERS OF NOTE
10
No. 4 Maryland kicked off a home stand in College Park on Saturday, easily dismantling No. 11 Florida 18-8. Graduate attacker Aurora Cordingley looked comfortable as ever during her first home game as Terrapin, notching a career-high 10 points. This marks the first time since March 2013 that a Maryland player has recorded 10 points in one game.
15
No. 13 Virginia powered past then-No. 16 Stanford over the weekend to record a dominant 23-13 victory in Charlottesville. Key to the Cavaliers’ success was sophomore midfielder Aubrey Williams’ masterful performance on the draw. Williams notched 15 draw controls — a new single-game record for Virginia — to propel her team to victory.
7
No. 5 Northwestern and No. 3 Syracuse put on quite the show Tuesday, going back and forth all game. Wildcats senior attacker Lauren Gilbert matched her career-high with seven goals — including the game-winning free position in overtime — to propel Northwestern to a 16-15 victory in Evanston.
2014
Vermont kicked off its home slate against Wagner on Sunday, scoring seven unanswered goals spanning more than 30 minutes to win 10-6. Junior midfielder Ava Vasile played a key role in the matchup, tallying four goals for the Catamounts. The victory marks Vermont’s first win in a home opener since 2014.