ASHEVILLE, N.C.- Senior co-captain Megan Strand struck for the game's only goal in the 44th minute to give VMI their second-straight road win, a 1-0 victory over UNC Asheville on Tuesday afternoon at Greenwood Field.
The Keydets (7-7-1, 4-1-1 Big South) matched the school record for wins in a season with the victory, one that sets up a first-place showdown on Friday evening when the Keydets head south to take on Coastal Carolina. The Chanticleers sit atop the Big South standings at 5-2, while the Keydets are the only other team in the League with as many as four wins.
VMI sophomore keeper Heidi Beemer made seven saves to help preserve the team's fifth shutout of the season, establishing a new school record for clean sheets in a season. She also got some help midway through the first half when a goal was wiped away due to an offsides call in the 20th minute before senior co-captain Celine Ziobro cleared a would-be goal by UNCA's Robyn Busha off the line in the 22nd minute.
Strand then struck for her fourth goal of the season just before halftime, when she drove home a rebound off of an Olivia Moore shot to put the Keydets on top for good. The 1-0 victory is VMI's first since defeating The Citadel on Sept. 3, 2007, and is the Keydets' first 1-0 win in Big South Conference play.
After being out-shot 8-5 in the first half, the Bulldogs (5-10, 3-4 Big South) poured on the pressure by firing 12 shots in the second half to VMI's five. The Keydet back line was up to the task, however, scoring their third shutout in six Big South Conference contests this season. Bulldog keeper Veronica Lazar was credited with seven saves in the loss.
VMI held a 5-2 advantage in corner kicks in the contest, and was whistled for 16 of the game's 25 fouls. The Keydets have now won each game this season during which they have held a lead.
The win was VMI's first-ever triumph in six tries against UNC Asheville. After forcing the Bulldogs to overtime in 2005, the Keydets had been outscored 9-0 the past two seasons against the Blue and White.
The Keydets make their third-consecutive trip to the Carolinas on Saturday night, taking on Coastal Carolina at 6 p.m. in Conway, S.C.
Keydet Quick Hits
? Last season, VMI set a new school record for lowest goals-against-average with a 1.81. With four regular season games remaining, the Keydets currently sport a 1.24 GAA.
? Senior Megan Strand now sits fourth on VMI's career points list and fifth in career goals, and is tied for the most assists in school history with 11. The game-winning goal against UNC Asheville was the first of her career.
? VMI had lost its first eight games all-time in the State of North Carolina before winning twice in the past four days there.
? The Keydets were 2-29 in the past four seasons in the Big South Conference. The team is now 4-1-1 in League play in 2008.
? Last Saturday's win at High Point was VMI's first road win in seven tries, dating back to last season. It marks only the second time that VMI has scored back-to-back road wins in program history.
HEAD COACH BRYAN WILLIAMS- “We knew that UNC Asheville was a dangerous team that returned some quality players. They were also coming off a 10-day layoff, and we thought they would be fresh for the game. In the opening 5-10 minutes of the game, we did a good job of keeping the ball forward. They really settled in and starting getting the ball forward and really tested Heidi & Audrey and Celine through center, and they really opened us up. We needed to settle down and get our shape back to deal with what they were bringing at us. We caught them on a couple of offsides, which would have been goals for them.
“As the half went on, we got penetrating play downfield, but we weren't getting into the box. Their keeper handled our chances pretty routinely. The goal was really created by hard work from our attacking players. The ball came in from the left side, Olivia got a part of the ball and it came back to Megan, and she was able to slide a ball into their left-hand side of the goal. It was a really intense, rapid-fire exchange. We knew that we certainly didn't play our best in the first half, but we scored a very good goal by working very hard, which made me feel good about what we were doing.
“Defensively did a lot of things we needed to do in second half. Gabby did a good job at left back, as did Alexi at right back. Asheville wanted to go directly at us, down the center, which made for a very interesting half. At times it was easy for Heidi, but she was tested at other times and made a tremendous save by diving to the right-side of our goal in the second half. We got some great runs late in the second half, and really didn't let them have a chance in the closing minutes. It was great to see the time go off the clock, having weathered a storm and getting another road win in conference play.”
