ORANGEBURG, S.C. - The Keydet defense earned its sixth shutout of the season but earned just a tie in a 0-0 result at South Carolina State on Sunday afternoon in non-conference women's soccer action. VMI, meanwhile, earned the fifth seed in the upcoming Big South Conference Women's Soccer Championship presented by Musco Sports Lighting and will take on fourth-seeded Coastal Carolina on Thursday in the first round of the tournament.
The Keydets (7-10-1) will enter the Championship on a season-best three-match unbeaten streak following its second overtime result of the season and its first tie since a 1-1 result on Oct. 4, 2008 against Charleston Southern. The team's sixth blanking of the season matched the school record in that category, while the team's goals-against-average (1.10) and save percentage (86.2%) are each ahead of record pace at the conclusion of the regular season.
On Sunday, the Bulldogs (10-6-3) came out firing, dominating the shot count in the first half, 10-2. Each squad managed seven shots in the second half, while SCSU held a slight, 6-5 advantage in attempts during the game's two overtime periods. As a result of the 23-12 shot advantage for the Bulldogs, junior Keydet keeper Angela Redmond was credited with a season-high 12 saves, improving her save percentage to 89.0% on the season.
"They are a much-improved team that played us really tough," said VMI head coach Bryan Williams. "They controlled a good portion of the first half, then we definitely stepped up and put the pressure on them in the second half. We generated some great opportunities, but just couldn't find the back of the net. It was a little bit frustrating, but I was overall pleased with our play. We got the shutout, and I think that it was important to see our level of play was consistent all match. Now we'll head back to Lexington and get ready for what looks to be a wide-open tournament down in Charleston."
On Thursday, VMI will match up with Coastal Carolina for the second time in tournament play. Back in 2007, the eighth-seeded Keydets made their postseason debut, dropping a 1-0 match to the top-seeded Chants. VMI will look to continue the momentum they gained in last year's Championship, when the third-seeded Keydets dispatched sixth-seeded Winthrop 2-1 before falling to eventual Champions Radford, 2-1.
The Keydets and Chanticleers will kick things off at Blackbaud Stadium in Charleston, S.C. on Thursday at 11:30 a.m., followed by top-seeded Liberty vs. #8 Winthrop at 2 p.m. Second-seeded Gardner-Webb and #7 High Point are slated to meet at 4:30 p.m., while #3 Charleston Southern wraps up the Quarterfinals by taking on #6 Radford at 7 p.m. The winners of the first two matches will meet on Friday afternoon at 4:30 p.m., while the final two survivors meet at 7 p.m. on Friday evening. The final is slated for Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m., with the winner of that match earning the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Championship. Each match will be broadcast on the Big South Network, and fans can watch the action by logging on at www.BigSouthSports.com.
