Sarah Fuller and the Vanderbilt Commodores will have a chance to make college football history on Saturday. Fuller, a senior keeper on the women’s soccer team, will be suiting up when the Commodores face the Missouri Tigers.
Fuller started practicing with Vanderbilt’s football program on Tuesday, as first reported by THe Vanderbilt Hustler. With the team depleted on special teams by COVID-19, Fuller has earned an incredible opportunity.
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Sarah Fuller to kick for Vanderbilt Commodores on Saturday?
After winning an SEC championship to cap off her senior season, Sarah Fuller’s collegiate career was seemingly over. That all changed when the football team needed someone with kicking experience.
On Wednesday, head coach Derek Mason confirmed the team was testing out Fuller’s leg and indicated she would be an option for the upcoming game.
“She’s got a strong leg. We’ll see what that yields,” Derek Mason said, via ESPN. “… Sarah’s an option. She seems to be a pretty good option, so we’ll figure out what that looks like on Saturday.”
Following a few practices with the team, Fuller announced on Friday that she will be on Vanderbilt’s roster for the upcoming game against Missouri. The team confirmed the news, setting the stage for a historic moment.
Fuller immediately becomes the first female student-athlete on a football roster in SEC history. If she takes the field for a snap, she will become the first woman to appear in a Power 5 football game.
Sarah Fuller stats for Vanderbilt soccer
Sarah Fuller joined Vanderbilt’s soccer program in 2017, but saw limited playing time in her first three years with the team. After playing in just two games, she got her opportunity to start in her final season.
As a senior, per the team’s website, Fuller started nine games this fall and the team went 7-2 record with her as a starter. Over that span, she had a stellar 0.97 goals-against average, which is the eighth-best mark in program history. She shut out her opponents in three starts this season.
Kicking hasn’t been a strength for the Commodores this season. Pierson Cooke, a junior, has converted just 42.9% of his field-goal attempts (3-of-7) this year. Of his four misses, two came from inside the 30-yard line.