NASHVILLE, Tenn. — With a 4-1 win against Saint Mary’s, Darren Ambrose became just the second coach in Vanderbilt women’s soccer history to amass 100 wins with the Commodores.
He’s transformed the program into an SEC champion, an NCAA Tournament regular and a developmental pipeline to the NWSL. More than merely statistical confirmation of that success, a round number that catches the eye, the wins help tell its story. They reveal not just a motivator and tactician but a teacher at home in his classroom. They are a measure of how a coach, a team and a sport can make a difference in lives.
“I just loved team sports,” Ambrose said. “I learned that I love being around people who are willing to challenge themselves. It wasn’t just about personal challenge or the competitive aspect—which I love—but it was being around other people and contributing in a way that is to the greater good. That is something I like being a part of.”
Candice Storey Lee, vice chancellor for athletics and university affairs and athletic director, congratulates Ambrose after win No. 100 (Truman McDaniel/Vanderbilt Athletics).
Win No. 1: 3-2 at Gonzaga (Aug. 28, 2015)
Ambrose didn’t set out to leave Penn, where he was head coach for 15 seasons. He’d built the program into an Ivy League powerhouse. He and his family were happy in Philadelphia. Schools came calling, but he always politely declined. Vanderbilt was different. Vanderbilt required no compromises; it was another world-class academic institution in a vibrant city. And it offered a tempting opportunity—the biggest of blank canvases. An SEC women’s soccer pioneer that needed a refresh, Vanderbilt could climb as high as he dared imagine.
He was hired in early 2015 to revitalize a program that had won just seven SEC games in the preceding four seasons.
Midway through her first year at Vanderbilt when Ambrose was hired, Tina De Zeeuw was cautiously optimistic about the change. She just hoped there was still a place for her.
De Zeeuw was a well-regarded recruit who’d chosen Vanderbilt ahead of perennial national contenders. That left her all the more disappointed when the team culture her first season felt insufficient for competing for championships. But as is not unheard of for first-year students adjusting to a new world, she also ran afoul of team rules shortly before Ambrose arrived. It’s why her first conversation with the new coach happened sitting across from him in his office….