NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Sarah Fuller kicked two extra points Saturday to become the first woman to score in a Power Five conference game, finally getting the chance to do more than squib a kickoff for Vanderbilt during a 42-17 loss to Tennessee.
Fuller cleanly converted both of her kicks, to the cheers of her teammates and family.
Fuller made history Nov. 28 as the first woman to play in a Power Five game, but was on the field only once, driving a low kickoff to open the second half as the Commodores got shut out at Missouri.
With Vanderbilt (0-9) getting the chance to play after postponing last week's game at Georgia, the Commodores also gave the goalkeeper for the Southeastern Conference women's soccer tournament champs an opportunity to put up points. After the game, Fuller said the Vanderbilt football staff has judged her on ability throughout her short tenure with the team.
"This whole time has been if I can do it, if I'm good enough to do it,'' Fuller said. "It wasn't if I was a girl or not. So that's something I've really appreciated. At the end of the day, they treated me like an athlete and that's the best I could ask for.''
Fuller, listed second out of three available kickers on the depth chart, came out for the extra point that tied the game at 7 with 1:50 left in the first quarter. The 6-foot-2 senior put the ball through the uprights and celebrated by pulling her fist in before slapping high-fives with teammates. She ran off the field with a big smile with her family in the stands all with their arms up in the air.
An official gave Fuller the ball on the sideline. She got another chance with 7:22 left in the fourth quarter at the other end of the field and kicked the ball through.
Vanderbilt coach Todd Fitch said after the game that the plan was for Fuller to handle kicks inside the 10-yard line as she proved the most accurate out of their available kickers in that range.
"She's been accurate in that area of the field," Fitch said. "...We get in the game and she was highly accurate with it in that range, the extra points and inside the 10, so she was going to get those. The other kickers were going to get it further back.
"It was truly off statistics of the week's preparation. It wasn't about trying to do something special. It was truly who made most of those kicks."
The Associated Press contributed to that report.
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