LEXINGTON, Va. - Two second half goals from senior midfielder Jonathan Rios (Fredericksburg, Va./ Courtland) and a goal from sophomore Nathan Johnson (Shawsville, Va./ Christiansburg) lifted VMI a 4-2 win over The Citadel on Saturday at Patchin Field.

The Citadel jumped on the board early when senior forward Ben Wilson fired a shot into the back of the net to take a 1-0 advantage 9:57 seconds into the contest.

The Keydets answered 1:34 later as senior forward Daniel Whitehall (Royal Palm Beach, Fla./ Suncoast) gathered a rebound and blasted it past The Citadel's Bryon Voyer to knot the match up at 1-1.

The score remained the same until 11:16 into the second half when The Citadel was awarded a penalty shot. Wilson took the kick and blew it past VMI sophomore goalkeeper Brian Douglas (Virginia Beach, Va./ Catholic) to take a 2-1 lead.

VMI tied the score at 2-2 when Johnson converted a penalty kick opportunity 4:18 later. With 16:21 remaining in the match, Johnson found Rios for a goal to give the Keydets a 3-2 advantage.

Rios added his second goal with 3:23 remaining to push the final margin to 4-2.

"We fought really hard," stated VMI head coach Stephen Ross. "We had some opportunities and put the ball in the net. There were a couple of times when we faced adverse situations, and we overcame them all."

The win improved VMI's record to 2-6-4 and 2-2 in the Southern Conference. The Citadel fell to 3-9 and 1-3 in SoCon play.

The Keydets will next play on Saturday, Oct. 26 when they host the College of Charleston. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. at Patchin Field.

Scoring By Halves 1 2 F Records
The Citadel 1 1 2 (3-9, 1-3)
VMI 1 3 4 (2-6-4, 2-2)

Scoring Summary
Ben Wilson (CIT) 9:57 (Unassisted)
Daniel Whitehall (VMI) 11:31 (Unassisted)
Ben Wilson (CIT) 66:16 (Penalty Kick)
Nathan Johnson (VMI) 70:34 (Penalty Kick)
Jonathan Rios (VMI) 73:39 (Nathan Johnson)
Jonathan Rios (VMI) 86:37 (Unassisted)

Goalkeeper Saves - The Citadel 5, VMI 4
Shots - The Citadel 7, VMI 13
Corner Kicks - The Citadel 6, VMI 3
Fouls - The Citadel 9, VMI 20


-VMI-