BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. - Two second-half goals broke a scoreless tie and propelled the Gardner-Webb Bulldogs to a 2-0 win over the VMI Keydets in Big South men's soccer action contested Saturday, Oct. 9 in Boiling Springs, N.C.
After playing through an even first half, the Keydets (0-8-1, 0-2 Big South) earned a corner kick in the match's 49th minute. The kick went astray, and off the counter-attack, Gardner-Webb's (4-7, 2-1 Big South) Nicolas Wrobel took a pass at the top of the box. He then ripped a shot past a diving Brian Sowell, giving the Bulldogs the 1-0 lead. The home team would then add a goal in the 82nd minute, when Wrobel found Romeo Kabanda for the insurance marker, accounting for the margin in the 2-0 win.
VMI keeper Sowell made three saves in the loss, while Adam Garcia had four saves for Gardner-Webb. Both teams had five shots on goal, while GWU outshot VMI 18-15 overall.
The Keydets got off to a solid start, notching the first two shots of the match, but neither team could put a shot on frame until the 17th minute, when Sonny Landry broke through the back-and-forth action for a header, forcing Garcia to make the match's first save. Gardner-Webb then got off the next five shots, finally testing Sowell at 26:40, as the VMI keeper notched his first save of the evening on a header try.
The evenly played contest continued, as the teams swapped series of shots, with GWU putting another shot on frame in the 42nd minute, a try that Sowell stopped to keep the match scoreless. It would remain that way at halftime, with Gardner-Webb outshooting VMI 11-7 and earning six corner kicks to VMI's three.
Two minutes into the second half, Amir Shihata's corner kick was counter-attacked for the go-ahead, and eventual game-winning, goal by Wrobel. Payton Case had a chance for the equalizer at 54:02, but his shot went wide, and five minutes later, David Rochow was stopped by Garcia to preserve GWU's slim one-goal advantage.
VMI had two quality chances over the final 30 minutes, with Matt Seinfeld earning a pair of corner kicks. In the 70th minute, the first of those corners led to an Amir Shihata shot that was wide, while the second kick moments later was parlayed into a Landry header. Garcia stopped the VMI captain, preserving the 1-0 advantage for his team.
In the 80th minute, Jacob MacIntyre was able to put a shot on frame, but a Gardner-Webb defender stopped it, keeping the score 1-0 and setting the stage for Kabanda's insurance goal moments later.
VMI men's soccer will return to action Tuesday, as the Keydets travel to Rock Hill, S.C. to take on defending Big South Champion Winthrop. Match time is set for 7 p.m.
