LEXINGTON, Va. – VMI Men's Soccer returns to Patchin Field to face Regent on Friday before traveling to Johnson City, Tennessee for the Southern Conference opener against East Tennessee State on Sunday.
 
The Keydets (3-4-2) have recorded three straight results against NCAA Division I opponents. VMI nears the end of its non-conference slate by hosting NCCAA affiliate, Regent (4-4-1), and is seeking to end a long drought against SoCon foe, ETSU (1-5-3).
 
Keys to the Keydets
Keydets' Late Goal Earns Decision. VMI picked up a 1-1 draw against Radford after scoring in the final minute of the match.
 
Martin with the Equalizer. With 59 seconds remaining, Grant Martin pushed his way into the box to score the game-tying goal.
 
Breaking Conference Drought. The Keydets are searching for their first conference win since 2013 and their first SoCon victory since 2002.
 
First Time Since '01. With Kyle Grant (offensive) and Zack Murphy (defensive) tallying weekly honors in back-to-back weeks, it's the first time VMI has earned back-to-back Player of the Week awards since 2001.
 
Three Straight for History. VMI recorded its third-straight result over a D-I opponent after defeating Howard and then drawing against Saint Peter's and Radford. It's the first time since 2010 that the Keydets have hit this mark.
 
New Marks. After the draw against the Highlanders, VMI has earned a result against the same D-I opponent (Radford) in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2013/2014.
 
Home Sweet Home. VMI is 3-0 at home for the first time since 2005 and the first time the Keydets have started 3-0 at home since 1991. VMI has never gone 4-0 at home to start a season and hasn't won four straight home matches since 1994.
 
Martin the Martian. Martin leads the team with three goals and seven points, the third and fourth most in the SoCon.
 
He's the Huang. Anthony Huang leads VMI in shots while tying in points and assists. He leads the league in shots and is also third in total points.
 
Leading the League. The Keydets lead all SoCon teams in shots, shots on target, and assists.
 
Top 25 in the Country. VMI ranks 21st in the nation with nearly five saves per game.
 
Game Winners. Huang, Grant, and Jesse Lee have each tallied game-winning goals.
 
Murphy Minutes. Murphy has played in 796 minutes and has recorded 44 saves between the posts with two clean sheets.
 
Life Saver. Murphy ranks 15th in saves per game with nearly five while standing ninth in total saves with 44.
 
Game-Winning Grant. Grant scored the game-winning goal against Howard. This was Grant's first goal of the season and the second game-winner of his young career.
 
Big Shots. Huang has posted three shots a game and 1.5 shots on goal per game, ranking in the top 50 in the nation and number one in the league. Cole Mooney has accumulated 19 shots which is second in the conference.
 
Sharing is Caring. Seven different Keydets have recorded a goal while eight different players have earned an assist.
 
Scouting the Opponents
- Regent enters the weekend 4-4-1 and is 2-3 on the road.
- Royals are a member of the NCCAA.
- Regent is 1-3-1 in their last five matches.
- Royals have outscored their opponents 18-15.
- Samuel McMullin and Drew Thomas lead the team with three goals and seven points each.
- Tyler Hambright has posted 13 shots on target.
- Conner Henriques leads the Royals between the posts, tallying 22 saves.
- ETSU holds a 1-5-3 record, the worst among SoCon teams.
- Buccaneers are 1-0-2 when playing at Summers-Taylor Stadium.
- This will be the first SoCon match of the season for both teams.
- ETSU is 0-3-2 in their last five matches.
- Bucs were projected to finish fifth in the conference.
- ETSU has been outscored 18-7 by their opponents.
- Bucs have produced seven goals off 91 shots with 38 on target.
- Marc Kouadio has started in all nine games between the posts, earning 46 saves with a 1.75 goals against average.
- Gabriel Ramos is tied for third in the conference with seven points while leading the Bucs with a pair of goals.
- Lucas Nordin has produced 14 shots with seven shots on goal.
 
Series History
- VMI is 3-0 against Regent and 0-16 against ETSU.
- Last meeting versus Regent was last season when VMI won, 9-0.
- Last season, VMI lost to ETSU, 3-0, at home.
- Keydets have outscored the Royals, 17-1, in three matches.
 
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