University of Memphis Athletics
Friday, August 21
Nashville, Tenn.
6 p.m.
University of Memphis
at
Vanderbilt
No. 21 Memphis Hits the Road for Top-25 Showdown at No. 3 Vanderbilt
Aug 20, 2026 | Women's Soccer
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The No. 21 Memphis women's soccer team hits the road for the first time this season Friday, traveling to Nashville for a 6 p.m. showdown with No. 3 Vanderbilt on SEC Network
The Tigers enter their first road test with a 1-1 record after opening the season with a 2-0 victory over Kennesaw State before suffering a heartbreaking 2-1 defeat to Alabama on Saturday.
Memphis is ranked No. 21 in this week's United Soccer Coaches Poll and No. 20 in TopDrawerSoccer's Top 25. The national recognition extends Memphis' streak of appearing in the rankings to nine consecutive seasons.
Friday's matchup will provide an early test for the Tigers against a Vanderbilt squad ranked No. 3 nationally, the highest ranking in program history for the Commodores. Vanderbilt is the highest-ranked opponent Memphis has faced since battling No. 2 Tennessee to a draw last season at the Track and Soccer Complex.
The contest will mark the ninth meeting between Memphis and Vanderbilt, with the all-time series deadlocked at 4-4.
The programs met last season in Memphis for a similar matchup between two nationally ranked sides, with the No. 24 Tigers earning a 1-0 victory over the No. 11 Commodores. Elise Perron provided the difference, finding the back of the net in the 55th minute to give Memphis the win.
Memphis owns a 44-43-8 all-time record against current SEC programs and is 41-29-5 against the conference since head coach Brooks Monaghan took over the program in 2000.
Vanderbilt is led by head coach Darren Ambrose, who owns a 128-65-32 record with the Commodores and a 276-138-67 mark over his collegiate head coaching career. Ambrose has ties to the Bluff City, earning his master's degree from the University of Memphis and previously serving as the head coach at Rhodes College.
The Commodores opened their season with a pair of victories last week, defeating SMU 4-3 before shutting out ETSU 4-0. Vanderbilt's eight goals through its first two matches rank 12th nationally.
Vanderbilt is coming off a historic 2025 campaign that saw the Commodores capture the SEC Tournament championship and advance to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.
Tiger Tidbits
For the Tigers' most recent and up-to-date schedule, click HERE.
HOW TO FOLLOW THE TIGERS: For complete information on Memphis Tigers Soccer, visit www.GoTigersGo.com and follow the team's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
The Tigers enter their first road test with a 1-1 record after opening the season with a 2-0 victory over Kennesaw State before suffering a heartbreaking 2-1 defeat to Alabama on Saturday.
Memphis is ranked No. 21 in this week's United Soccer Coaches Poll and No. 20 in TopDrawerSoccer's Top 25. The national recognition extends Memphis' streak of appearing in the rankings to nine consecutive seasons.
Friday's matchup will provide an early test for the Tigers against a Vanderbilt squad ranked No. 3 nationally, the highest ranking in program history for the Commodores. Vanderbilt is the highest-ranked opponent Memphis has faced since battling No. 2 Tennessee to a draw last season at the Track and Soccer Complex.
The contest will mark the ninth meeting between Memphis and Vanderbilt, with the all-time series deadlocked at 4-4.
The programs met last season in Memphis for a similar matchup between two nationally ranked sides, with the No. 24 Tigers earning a 1-0 victory over the No. 11 Commodores. Elise Perron provided the difference, finding the back of the net in the 55th minute to give Memphis the win.
Memphis owns a 44-43-8 all-time record against current SEC programs and is 41-29-5 against the conference since head coach Brooks Monaghan took over the program in 2000.
Vanderbilt is led by head coach Darren Ambrose, who owns a 128-65-32 record with the Commodores and a 276-138-67 mark over his collegiate head coaching career. Ambrose has ties to the Bluff City, earning his master's degree from the University of Memphis and previously serving as the head coach at Rhodes College.
The Commodores opened their season with a pair of victories last week, defeating SMU 4-3 before shutting out ETSU 4-0. Vanderbilt's eight goals through its first two matches rank 12th nationally.
Vanderbilt is coming off a historic 2025 campaign that saw the Commodores capture the SEC Tournament championship and advance to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.
Tiger Tidbits
- Memphis has not lost consecutive matches since the 2022 season, when the Tigers suffered back-to-back defeats against Louisville and No. 5 Virginia.
- Memphis has been the nation's top road team since the start of the 2023 season, posting an 18-3-2 record and an NCAA-best .826 road winning percentage. The Tigers sit ahead of current No. 1 Stanford (.804) and No. 3 Florida State (.800), last season's national runner-up and champion, respectively.
- Friday will mark Memphis' fourth all-time matchup against an opponent ranked in the top five nationally. The Tigers are 0-2-1 in the previous three contests, falling 3-2 to No. 3 Oklahoma State in 2012 and 5-0 to No. 5 Virginia in 2022 before earning their first result against a top-five opponent with a draw against No. 2 Tennessee last season.
For the Tigers' most recent and up-to-date schedule, click HERE.
HOW TO FOLLOW THE TIGERS: For complete information on Memphis Tigers Soccer, visit www.GoTigersGo.com and follow the team's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's SoccerSaturday, November 22
Saturday, November 15
Monday, November 10
Monday, November 10