How Vanderbilt soccer advanced to first Elite Eight ever with win vs LSU

Sara Wojdelko is used to penalty kick situations.

Against Florida State last season, Wojdelko made 14 saves to advance Vanderbilt soccer to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in program history. On Nov. 9, she survived 10 rounds of penalty kicks in the SEC tournament final against LSU for the Commodores' first conference title since 2020.

Taking on LSU again, this time in a third-round matchup in the NCAA tournament on Nov. 24, Wojdelko faced a penalty kick in the 72nd minute, with the Commodores leading by one. She dove to her right and saved it as they won by the final score 1-0.

Vanderbilt (18-3-2) will take on TCU in the Elite Eight, with the winner advancing to the Women's College Cup in Kansas City, Missouri.

"For me, it's just clearing my mind," Wojdelko said. "Nothing else matters in that moment. Doesn't matter who's on the other side of that ball. It's just about me, where I'm going to try to do everything I can to block that ball, to put my team up for the advantage."

The Commodores dominated possession in the first half, taking 10 shots to LSU's two, but neither team found the goal in the half. Vanderbilt finally got on the board when Grace Freeman headed a pass that an LSU defender whiffed on, then Melania Fullerton slammed home the goal.

Fullerton had come in as a substitution a few minutes before. Just before she went into the game, coach Darren Ambrose told her: "The ball's going to drop to you, take a touch and smash it."

"There's something about the way she trains that she gets a ball anywhere from probably 10 to 15 yards out," Ambrose said. "She hits the ball harder than most people I know, and it just is a matter of finding space."

Facing LSU for the third time this season, Ambrose didn't believe Vanderbilt had played its best either of the other two times. Both officially ended in draws, with the SEC tournament final going to penalties to decide the champion.

But Ambrose believed the Commodores did much better playing through their midfielders, Ally Bollig, Courtney Jones and Maci Teater — something he calls "death by a thousand paper cuts." The early offensive aggressiveness was a breath of fresh air, too, after Ambrose thought the team was too tentative in its first-round win over Tennessee Tech and allowed Clemson to take an early lead in the second round.

More on Sara Wojdelko How goalkeeper Sara Wojdelko became key piece for Vanderbilt soccer's NCAA tournament run

Vanderbilt is in the midst of a historic season. Both its No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament and its advancement to the Elite Eight are program firsts. It is the only SEC team remaining in the NCAA tournament.

"I have not seen a spirit and a dynamic in a team in 34 years of doing this, and I've had some great teams," Ambrose said. " . . . I'm just so happy for these guys, for this team, for these young women, what they've poured into this. We talked about what was possible, and we still don't know."

Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at [email protected] or on X @aria_gerson.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Vanderbilt soccer defeats LSU to reach first women's NCAA Elite Eight