NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Seniors Lauren Demarchi and Nia Dorsey have been selected as captains of the Vanderbilt soccer team for the2019 season, as announced by head coach Darren Ambrose.

“Being a captain in today’s collegiate athletic world is a challenging undertaking, but Lauren and Nia both do the role justice in our program,” Ambrose said. “Both girls embody our program’s values and are a great complement to each other’s strengths.  They are a compass for the team, providing honest guidance and positive reinforcement. They understand the need for teammates to hold each other accountable in order for the team to reach its potential.

“We have a lot of wonderful, charismatic personalities in our program and they do a great job bringing everyone together and keeping them on the same page.”

Demarchi will serve as captain for the second season in a row for the Commodores after holding the title in 2018 alongside Gabby Rademaker.

“For me it’s really such an honor for Darren [Ambrose] to have chosen me twice, especially last year when I was really young, Demarchi said. “So now I’ve been able to grow into someone who is more experienced and better at leading this team. It’s been a challenge but it’s also been so rewarding to be able to do it twice.”

Last fall, Demarchi and Dorsey served as focal points of one of the best Commodore defenses in program history. Demarchi recorded the second-best single-season goals-against average in Commodore history after posting a 0.55 mark and going 13-3-1 in 2018.

“I was very honored being selected as captain this year,” Dorsey said. “This year I feel like I’ve grown a lot on the field off the field. I am very excited about leading with Lauren. She killed it last season and had so much success but she never gloated and never said it was all about her. She was very humble the entire time. That’s how she’ll be on this team as well.”

Dorsey started all 21 games last season and has played in every game over the past three seasons. In 2018, Dorsey was second on the team in minutes played with 1,776. She also added three assists on the year. 

“Nia is the most consistent player on the team which she refuses to believe that’s actually true, but it is,” Demarchi said. “I think it’s going to be the same. She’s going to be consistent and well thought out and practical with every decision she makes.”

---

RECOMMENDED FOR YOU

Men's NCAA Tournament First Round Recap

Men's NCAA Tournament Round Two Preview

TeamRank Presented By TeamSnap - Boys