LEXINGTON, Va. – For the second-straight week, VMI Men's Soccer will take Wofford, this time for a chance at a Southern Conference title. Kickoff is slated for Friday at 2 p.m. at Summers-Taylor Stadium in Johnson City, Tennessee.
 
The Keydets (5-10-2, 0-5-0 SoCon) have a shot at earning their first-ever conference tournament crown, but in the way stands the Terriers (7-6-2, 3-2) who earned the third seed in the league and look to avenge last year's upset in the semifinal round. Additionally, the league will announce the All-Conference voting results Thursday afternoon.
 
 
Keys to the Keydets
Keydets Play in Regular Season Finale. Despite a late drive, VMI fell to Wofford in the season finale at Patchin Field, 2-1.
 
Southern Conference Championship. UNC Greensboro and ETSU received the first-round bye and were crowned co-champions. Wofford earned the third seed with Furman, Mercer, and VMI following, respectively.
 
1, 2, 3 in History. Alexei Royar, Cole Mooney, and Drew Menges rank top three in program history in minutes played by a non-goalie.
 
Moving Up. With at least one game remaining, Mooney and Royar are on track to move into the top five all-time in career games played. They sit at 69 and 68, respectively, and need to play in 70.
 
The Ultimate Assist. Mooney is two assists shy from moving into the top five all-time in career assists.
 
Breaking Conference Drought. The Keydets are searching for their first conference win since 2013 and their first SoCon victory since 2002. VMI also seeks its first SoCon tournament win since 1992 and first postseason victory since 2005.
 
34 Years in the Making. VMI has conceded the fewest goals in a regular season since 1990.
 
Martin the Martian. Grant Martin leads the team with six goals and 14 points. He is second in the conference in goals and third in points.
 
He's the Huang. Anthony Huang is second in shots (32), third in assists (6), fourth in points (14), and fifth in shots on target (14) in the league as a true freshman. He also ranks in the top 75 in the nation in assists and assists per game.
 
No Days Off. Only two Keydets have played in all 17 matches: Martin and Woongchan Oh.
 
Leading the League. The Keydets lead all SoCon teams in shots and saves per game.
 
Shoot for the Moon(ey). Mooney has produced a conference-leading 39 shots with over two shots per game.
 
Top 50 in the Country. VMI ranks 11th in saves per game and 23rd in shots per game.
 
Murphy Minutes. Zack Murphy has played in nearly 1,400 minutes and has recorded 80 saves between the posts with a clean sheet and two shared shutouts.
 
Life Saver. Murphy ranks seventh in saves per game with five while standing fifth in total saves with 80 in NCAA DI.
 

Scouting the Terriers
- Wofford enters the tournament as the third seed after going 7-6-2 overall with a 3-2 conference record.
- Wofford has defeated familiar opponents including Queens, UNC Greensboro, and Mercer along with winning over VMI last week.
- Terriers had a 2-1 defeat to #2 Clemson two weeks ago.
- Wofford has posted 14 goals and 13 assists off 152 shots with 55 shots on target.
- Terriers are 4-3-2 when playing on the road.
- Head Coach Joel Tyson is in his sixth season at the helm, earning 30 wins.
- Wofford ranks in the top 50 in the country in team goals against average with just over one goal.
- Four Terriers hold two goals with three of those players posting two assists.
- Jakob Andersson boasts a team-leading five assists.
- Stewart Patnaud and Thaddeus Dennis stand atop in shots with 23 and 22, respectively.
- Leo Ledin has played and started in all 15 contests, earning 42 saves and a 1.07 goals against average with five shutouts, which ranks 40th in the nation.
- Wofford has made a conference-leading three penalty kicks but have scored the fewest goals in the league with 14.
 
Series History
- VMI is 4-23-1 against Wofford.
- Four wins is the most against a single SoCon team.
- First meeting was in 1996 where the Keydets took home a 2-0 victory.
- Last season resulted in a 1-0 loss on the road for VMI.
- Last weekend's meeting had the Terriers victorious, 2-1.
- This will be the third meeting in the postseason(2016 & 2021) with Wofford holding a 2-0 record in such games.
 
For more information, visit VMIKeydets.com or follow us on social media at VMI Athletics.