SOCCER CENTRAL: at Vanderbilt

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee is set to open its conference slate Sunday as the Vols travel to Nashville to face in-state rival No. 17 Vanderbilt. Kickoff between the Vols and Commodores is scheduled for 5 p.m. ET at the Vanderbilt Soccer/Lacrosse Complex.

Sunday's contest will be televised nationwide on ESPNU, with Drew Fellios and former NWSL standout Jordan Angeli on the call. An online version of the broadcast is available at this link, while Vanderbilt will provide live stats via StatBroadcast.

LAST TIME OUT: Tennessee defeated UC Davis 1-0 Wednesday to finish non-conference play with a 6-1-1 overall record. Senior forward MA Vignola found the game-winner for UT in the 74th minute, as she leads the Vols with five goals and two game-winning goals. Sophomore keeper Charli Pogany saw all 90 minutes between the posts against UC Davis, logging the first solo shutout of her collegiate career.

ONE VS. TWO: Sunday's matchup will feature the top-two teams from the final 2018 SEC regular season standings. Vandy captured its first league title with an 8-1-1 conference record, while the Vols finished second at 7-2-1 for their highest seeding since 2005.

BIG ROAD TESTS: Vanderbilt will be the first ranked opponent for the Vols this season, as the Commodores came in at No. 17 in the most recent United Coaches national poll. Tennessee's lone loss on the season came at unranked Rutgers, who has now surged to No. 14 in the national rankings.

SEC OPENERS: Since 2002, Tennessee holds an 11-5-1 record in SEC openers. The Vols have also won three of their last four conference road openers, most recently topping Ole Miss 2-0 last season in Oxford.

ELITE SCORING MATCHUP: Sunday's match will feature two of the top-three point scorers in the SEC. Vanderbilt's Haley Hopkins leads the league with 21 points (9G, 3A) while Tennessee's MA Vignola ranks third with 13 (5G, 3A).

SERIES HISTORY: Vanderbilt holds a 14-9-4 all-time series edge over the Vols, including four consecutive wins since 2016. Last season, the Commodores earned a 3-1 victory in Knoxville.

SCOUTING VANDERBILT: The Commodores (7-1-0) are coming off their first loss of the season, a 1-0 overtime defeat at No. 25/20 Louisville. Vanderbilt was most recently ranked the No. 17 team in the country by the United Soccer Coaches and has been ranked as high as No. 9 this season.

VU's roster features three All-SEC returners in Hopkins (1st team), Grace Jackson (1st team) and Nia Dorsey (2nd team). Midfielder Madison Elwell leads the SEC this season with six assists, while goalkeeper Lauren Demarchi tops the league with a 0.24 goals-against average.

UP NEXT: Tennessee's road swing continues with a matchup at Auburn on Thursday, Sept. 26. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET and the match will be broadcasted on SEC Network+.

For the most up-to-date information on Tennessee soccer, follow @Vol_Soccer on Twitter.

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Players Mentioned

Charli Pogany

MA Vignola

University of Tennessee Athletics