Vanderbilt women’s soccer goalie Sarah Fuller made history Saturday becoming the first woman to score in a Power 5 conference football game.
Fuller’s extra point after a Vanderbilt touchdown at home vs. Tennessee etched her name in the record books.
The Commodores’ women’s soccer goalie helped lead her team to the SEC championship in November, recording three saves in a 3-1 upset over Arkansas for the SEC tournament title. One week later Fuller was brought up to the football team two weeks ago and kicked off the second half against Missouri on Nov. 27, marking the first appearance by a female athlete in a Power 5 football game.
Fuller Knotted Contest Against Rival Tennessee
On Saturday, the Commodores drove late in the first quarter, running for a first down on fourth-and-1 inside the Tennessee twenty. On the next play, quarterback Ken Seals threw an 18-yard pass to wideout Cam Johnson for a touchdown.
Fuller, who remained on the roster even as a pair of kickers came out of quarantine, is listed second out of three available kickers on the team’s depth chart. She came out for the extra point, which tied the game at 7 with 1:50 left in the first quarter.
Vanderbilt's Sarah Fuller made history again today against Tennessee as she drilled her first career extra point, becoming the first woman to score in Power 5 game.https://t.co/QlXyGBGedw
— Madeline Coleman (@mwc13_3) December 12, 2020
The 6’2″ senior keeper got a clean snap, and the kick sailed through the middle of the uprights. She pumped her fist and looked down before pointing to the sky and being congratulated by her teammates one by one. In the stands, her family enjoyed the moment in a group embrace as a line judge strode over and handed Fuller the ball from the sideline.
Groundbreaker Stands on Shoulders of Other Kickers
Fuller Jonis a quartet of other women who’ve played and scored for a college football team. Liz Heaston was the first woman to score in college football with two extra points for Willamette of NAIA on Oct. 18, 1997. April Goss was the second, with an extra point for Kent State in 2015. Tonya Butler was the first woman to kick a field goal in an NCAA game for Division II West Alabama on Sept. 13, 2003. And Katie Hnida became the first woman to score for a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) team punching in two extra points for New Mexico on Aug. 30, 2003.
