ASHEVILLE, N.C.- The VMI men's soccer team won its second match in-a-row Saturday afternoon, defeating the UNC Asheville Bulldogs by a 2-1 count at UNCA's Greenwood Field. Senior Amir Shihata continued his hot streak, scoring both VMI goals, giving him four goals in the last three games and six on the season.
VMI (2-9-1, 2-3 BSC) took the early lead once for the third-straight match, as Shihata scored his fifth goal of the season at the 9:26 mark of the first half on an assist from Brian Harding. Harding has been an integral part of the VMI attack of late, as he has assisted on four goals in the past three matches, two of which being VMI wins.
Shihata's goal was the lone scoring play of the opening frame for either side, but VMI held a substantial 8-5 shot advantage in the first half.
The second frame was a different story, as UNCA outshot the Keydets 9-1, with several opportunities coming early in the half. The Bulldogs knotted the score up in the 56th minute, as Bobby Castro scored his first goal of the season on a rebound, slipping the shot past VMI's Brian Sowell to knot the score with 34 minutes left to play.
The Bulldog offense continued to press, but the VMI defense held its ground throughout the second half. In the 78th minute the defense was rewarding for its efforts, Shihata struck again, this time taking a pass from sophomore Kyle Farmer, who beat a pair of defenders and fed Shihata inside the 18 for a tap-in goal to give VMI the game-winner and bring the tally to 2-1 in favor of the Keydets.
Sowell made five stops in the win for the Keydets, while UNCA's Lassi Hurskainen stopped a pair of shots in the losing effort. The Bulldogs held a 14-9 shot advantage, on the afternoon, and also had 11 corners to VMI's five.
The back-to-back wins mark this first time the Keydets have had a winning-streak since the 2008 season, and was also VMI's first road victory this year.
The Keydets return to action on Weds., Oct. 27 as the squad travels to Washington, D.C. to take on Howard in a non-conference matchup. Kick is slated for a 7 p.m. start.
