moore vs siena
Randall K. Wolf
12
Winner VMI VMI 6-7 (3-4)
11
WAGNER WAGNERM 2-10 (1-6)
Winner
VMI VMI
6-7 (3-4)
12
Final
11
WAGNER WAGNERM
2-10 (1-6)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
VMI VMI 4 1 3 4 12
WAGNER WAGNERM 5 0 3 3 11

Game Recap: Lacrosse |

Moore Lifts VMI to Victory with Last-Second Goal

Box Score

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – Tied at 11-11 after a Wagner goal in the final minute, VMI's Simon Moore took a pass from Hartley Jordan and slipped it past the Seahawk goalie with one second on the clock to lift the Keydets to a thrilling 12-11 victory Wednesday afternoon at Hameline Field in Staten Island, New York.
 
In a back-and-forth game that featured eight ties, the Keydets (6-7, 3-4) took the lead on four separate occasions to earn their third MAAC victory of the season and sixth overall win of the year, the most since the 2008 season which also yielded six wins. With three MAAC wins on the season, VMI also matches its most conference victories since the 2008 campaign.
 
The win marked head coach James Purpura's 11th career victory at the helm, passing Jon Birsner and Brian Anken to become the third-winningest coach in the program's 40-year history.
 
The win also extended VMI's series advantage over the Seahawks to 10-8 all-time and second straight over Wagner.


 
Key Stats
*VMI freshman Jack Rogers won 17 of 22 faceoffs on the day and the Keydets claimed 19 of 26 overall to win the possession battle
*The Keydets outshot the Seahawks by a 47-34 margin and also won the groundball battle, 28-22. Defensively, VMI came up clutch in critical moments including forcing Wagner to go 0-2 on extra-man opportunities
*VMI was also effective in clearing the ball as the Keydets were successful on 17 of 18 attempts
*Wil Duffy earned his third hat trick of the season by leading VMI with three goals on the day. Luke Rusterucci, Luke Mryncza and Thomas Williamson all had a pair of scores, while Moore, Jordan and Will Gormsen each had one.
*Rusterucci (2), Jordan (2), Mryncza (1), and AJ Stamos (1) were all credited with assists
*Goalie Adam Norris came up big again for VMI with 10 saves on the afternoon, while Wagner's Danny Brady kept busy with 22 saves on the other end


 
VMI Head Coach James Purpura
"I'm so proud of the guys for finding a way to win. It doesn't matter if it takes 60 minutes or overtime, what matters is you find a way to win. We gave up a tying goal late, but credit to our guys they found a way to score with a second left to win the game. 
 
"I'm proud of the offensive effort. They found a way to score 12 half field goals. We didn't get a ton of transition and we didn't have any extra-man opportunities. Scoring was spread out and we had a lot of assisted goals. 
 
"Defensively, we cleared the ball well and we got the advantage possession-wise with winning the ground ball advantage. Freshman Adam Norris made some big saves when called upon. 
 
"I'm really proud of our face off unit today going 19/26 and especially freshman Jack Rogers, who went a perfect 7/7 in the fourth quarter. Anytime you can have that success it leads to more possession time. 
 
"Certainly it wasn't perfect, but winning at this level isn't easy. Every team is good and I'm proud of this young group for continuing to grow and today they found a way to get it done. 
 
"We get back home with a quick turnaround for another big conference game and I look forward to continuing this journey with this group."
 
Up Next
The Keydets return home for Senior Day this Saturday with Quinnipiac coming to town to battle at noon on Drill Field #2.







 
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