News release from Texas A&M Athletics:
BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION – The Texas A&M soccer team welcomes the Vanderbilt Commodores to town to begin the second half of the league slate. Match time at Ellis Field is 7 p.m.
The Aggies (8-5, 3-2-0) currently sit in fourth place in the SEC standings with nine points, just three back of first-place Arkansas and Mississippi State.
Last time out, the Maroon & White put a thumping on the Ole Miss Rebels in Oxford, cruising to a 4-1 victory as Jazmine Wilkinson broke out for two goals and an assist. Grace Ivey also added a goal for her second in the last three games and Taylor Jernigan found the back of the net for the first time this season. First year goalkeeper Sydney Fuller earned SEC Freshman of the Week for her performance racking up four saves.
Sydney Becerra leads Texas A&M in scoring with 14 points on five goals and four assists. Ivey has four goals on the year. Mia Pante also has added eight points on three goals and two assists.
The Maroon & White have posted six shutouts through 13 matches, including blank slates by three different netminders. In the SEC opener, Fuller recorded her third shutout of the season. She owns a 1.11 goals against average in her nine starts. Grace McClellan has two shutouts and Maysen Veronda recorded a 5-0 win against Lamar in the opener before a season-ending injury.
The Maroon & White are 10-3-0 all-time against the Commodores. The first meeting came in 1995 when the Aggies notched a 4-2 win in College Station. The teams have met ten times as SEC foes with A&M holding a 7-3-0 advantage. Vanderbilt’s 6-0 win last year in Nashville was Texas A&M’s worst conference loss since joining the SEC.
The Commodores are 5-2-5 on the season, including 0-2-3 in league play. Vanderbilt seeks to win their first road conference game dating back to October 20, 2022, when they defeated Florida 5-2 in Gainesville. Vandy comes to College Station after back-to-back 1-1 draws against formidable opponents of No. 24 South Carolina and in-state rival Tennessee.
Rachel Deresky leads the Commodores in points with five goals and four assists. Sydney Watts has a team high with six goals and adding one assist. In goal for Vanderbilt, veteran Kate Devine has started seven games, including all five conference games. She holds a .939 goals against average, three shutouts and 17 saves on the season.