LEXINGTON, Va.- Sophomore Alexi Staton scored her first career goal only two minutes after entering the contest, as VMI scored their second-straight win over The Citadel on Monday afternoon at Patchin Field. The win improves the Keydets to 2-0 for the first time since the 2003 season, while the Bulldogs fell to 0-2 on the year.

Staton (Roanoke, Va./Northside) entered the game in the 33rd minute, and in the 35th minute, found herself in front of the goal with the ball after a pass from sophomore Jessica Robbins (Williamsburg, Va./Bruton). Staton converted the shot for the game's lone goal, however, it wasn't the first opportunity the Keydets had on the afternoon. Senior Alexa Bernas (Mechanicsville, Va./Atlee) saw one of her game-high five shots go just wide of the goal after beating Citadel sophomore keeper Emily Green (Blacklick, Ohio/Columbus School) in the box in the 19th minute.

The Keydets kept the pressure on throughout the contest, holding a 17-3 advantage in shots while being whistled for 18 fouls to The Citadel's 12. Green played the first 45 minutes in goal and was credited with four saves, while Brit Bunnell (Barberton, Ohio/St. Vincent) was credited with five saves over the final 45 minutes of play. For the Keydets, Angela Redmond (Fairfax Station, Va./Woodson) played the game's first 45 minutes, making the team's only save while being credited with her first collegiate win. Fellow freshman Heidi Beemer (Virginia Beach, Va./Ocean Lakes) shut the Bulldogs out in the second half.

The win squares the series between the Keydets and Bulldogs at 2-2, as The Citadel claimed the first two victories in the series. Each team has won once at home and once away, while each of VMI's wins have come via shutouts.

The Keydets return to action on Friday afternoon, hitting the road for their second-straight Southern Conference opponent in Wofford at 6 p.m. The Bulldogs next take to the pitch on Friday afternoon, taking on East Tennessee State at the Jacksonville State Invitational.

HEAD COACH BRYAN WILLIAMS- "Obviously, I like to win against The Citadel, because of what it means to VMI, but there were things about the game that I didn't like so much. I was pleased with our ability to hold onto the game and to find a way to score. Alexi got her first collegiate goal, and it couldn't have come at a better time for us. I thought that the assist really underscores the importance of Jessica Robbins to this program and what a quality player she is for us, so I'm certainly pleased for both of those young ladies. Also, our two goalkeepers got their first shutout, which is very significant for us. It was a definite team effort on both of their parts, and I think the balance is really working very well right now. I was pleased with Celine Ziobro's play on the outside, she handled play like she has always done and showed her attacking ability by either putting pressure on the goal or creating opportunities for others. Alexa Bernas created some significant opportunities, and I was disappointed for her she didn't get a goal or several goals off of those chances. I give The Citadel a lot of credit, they kept coming back and they really did challenge us on the back line consistently. We have some things to sort out before our game against Wofford on Friday, and I'm hopeful we can do that. I'm excited that we're 2-0, it shows where this program has moved toward, but I know that with the rest of the schedule that the hope is these two games help us move into a much more challenging portion and we'll be able to hold our own and be competitive with the teams we play over the next couple of weeks before the conference schedule."