Vanderbilt adds pair of spring transfers from UNC and Northeastern

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vanderbilt soccer announced the addition of two student-athletes, Vivian Akyirem and Maci Teater, who will join the program for the spring semester.

Akyirem comes to the Commodores from Northeastern, where she appeared in 36 matches (32 starts) for the Huskies over her first two seasons. The Kumasi, Ghana, native posted 27 points off a conference-high 13 goals during her rookie season.

“Vivian is a goal scorer,” said head coach Darren Ambrose. “She can create goals for herself with her pace and 1v1 ability.”

After her rookie season, Akyirem tied for the Coastal Athletic Association lead with 13 goal to earn spots on the CAA All-Rookie Team and All-CAA First Team. Akyirem was also named to the CAA All-Tournament team after notching back-to-back two-goal performances to lead Northeastern to the CAA championship game. Akyirem was a United Soccer Coaches All-East Region Second Team selection in 2022 as well.

“She is technically creative and can play in any of the attacking roles,” Ambrose continued. “I am looking forward to watching and working with her this year.”

Teater comes to Vanderbilt after spending her first two seasons at North Carolina. The midfielder made 11 appearances for the Tar Heels, totaling over 150 minutes, as the program went 33-7-9 during that span. That included posting a 13-2-8 mark on the way to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament last fall, after North Carolina won 20 matches on the way to reaching the championship match of both the ACC and NCAA Tournaments when she was a freshman.

The St. Louis native attended Holt High School and played for St. Louis Scott Gallagher in the Elite Club National League. Teater was a member of the U18/19 West team for the 2021 ECNL San Diego National Select Game and received 2018-19 ECNL All-Midwest Conference accolades. She also earned all-state and all-region honors while competing in the Missouri Olympic Development Program.

“Maci has many qualities that will create dangerous attacking moments for our team,” Ambrose stated. “She has a deeply competitive spirit and a tenacious approach to both training and games. She has great technique and the vision to match. She will be a fun player to watch.”