LEXINGTON, Va.- VMI hung tough in the game's opening 20 minutes, but couldn't outlast an onslaught by Appalachian State in the first half's final minutes, as the Mountaineers scored a 5-1 win Saturday afternoon at Patchin Field.

With the game scoreless midway through the first half, ASU (2-1) got on the board in the 23rd minute when freshman forward Casey Cleary's (Wellington, Fla./Wellington) rocket from 30 yards out bounced off of the post and in. The Keydets (0-2) continued to keep the Mountaineers at bay for the next seven minutes, until junior midfielder Dana Murphy (Greensboro, N.C./Greensboro Day) served a ball to senior defender Suzanne Fossum (Bainbridge Island, Wash./Jacksonville), who hammered it home from in close to give the visitors a two-goal lead.

With six minutes remaining in the half, the floodgates opened, as ASU would go on to score three more goals in the final minutes. Junior forward Staci Smith (Roswell, Ga./Roswell) found the back of the net in the 40th minute on an assist from senior forward Jennipher Martin (Belmont, N.C./South Point), and sophomore forward Lindsey Moore (Tampa, Fla./Tampa Catholic) added a pair of goals in the 43rd and 45th minute, with that goal coming on an assist from sophomore midfielder Jaclyn Hoffman (Boca Raton, Fla./Olympic Heights) with nine seconds remaining in the half.

After head coach Bryan Williams gathered his troops at halftime, the Keydets came out a different team in the second half. The Mountaineers were stopped on numerous occasions on offensive opportunities, while junior forward Colleen Redmond (Brownsburg, Ind./Brebeuf Jesuit) scored her first goal of the season in the 71st minute, on a pass from sophomore forward Alexa Bernas (Mechanicsville, Va./Atlee).

In all, ASU held advantages in shots (25-16), corner kicks (7-11), fouls (19-9) and offsides (10-0). Earning the win in goal for ASU was Liz McCutcheon, who made three saves in the first half, while Megan Amorosi made two saves in the second half. In goal for the Keydets was sophomore Jessica Rheinlander (Manassas, Va./Forest Park), who made four saves in the loss.

The Keydets return to action Friday afternoon, when they compete in the Penguin Classic hosted by Youngstown State. They will take on Binghamton at 5 p.m. on Friday, then tangle with the hosts on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m.

HEAD COACH BRYAN WILLIAMS- "Today was another second-half game for us. We didn't really show up ready to play in the first half. We showed that we were on a level to play with them in the first twenty minutes of the game. Things just got away from us at the end of the first half. I give a lot of credit to Appalachian, they're well-coached and know what to do with the ball. I was ecstatic with Colleen's first goal on a tremendous service by Alexa Bernas. We got great play out of our outside midfielders in the second half. Gia (Bichara) and Erin (Squires) played well in their roles, and we got solid play from Vanessa Berrios and Celine Ziobro in the back"