LEXINGTON, Va. – VMI Men's Soccer will kick off against UNC Asheville for its first road match of the 2024 season Sunday afternoon at Greenwood Field.
 
After winning their first two matches, the Keydets will try to win its third straight against a tough Bulldog squad. VMI will have a tall task through September as five of the six matches will be on the road.
 
Keys to the Keydets
Keydets Win Two in a Row. VMI handled Emory & Henry, 4-2, to open the season before shutting out Warren Wilson, 4-0, on Monday.
 
Rain, Rain Go Away. The VMI-Robert Morris match on Thursday was canceled due to severe weather.
 
Preparing for Battle. The Keydets head to Asheville, North Carolina to face UNC Asheville for their first NCAA Division I match of the season.
 
New Goals. VMI aims to win their third home match of the season, a feat that has not been accomplished since 2007.
 
Scoring Frenzy. VMI has scored the most goals (8) in the first two matches of a season since 1999.
 
Leading the League. The Keydets lead all SoCon teams with eight goals, nine assists, 47 shots, 25 points, and 20 shots on goal.
 
Martin the Martian. Grant Martin has been a key piece to the Keydets' offense, nabbing a pair of goals and an assist off the bench. He now holds the second-most points in the SoCon.
 
Lee's Highway. In the win over Warren Wilson, Jesse Lee put up back-to-back goals, including the game-winner.
 
Defending Home Territory. The Keydets have allowed just seven shots with four shots on goal.
 
Welcome to VMI, Anthony Huang. The freshman forward nabbed the game-winning goal along with a pair of assists in his first collegiate outing against Emory & Henry.
 
Classic Chaffey. Elliot Chaffey has taken on a big role in the Keydets' back line, playing a part in Monday's clean-sheet win along with tallying a pair of assists in two games played.
 
Pressure On Goal. VMI has posted 20 shots on goal in comparison to their opponents' four.
 
Nationally Acclaimed. After one week of play, the Keydets are ranked in the top 10 in 11 different NCAA D-I categories including assists per game, corner kicks per game, goal differential, points per game, scoring offense, shots per game, shots on
goal, total assists, total goals, total points, and win-loss differential.
 
Snapping the Skid. With last week's victory over the Wasps, the Keydets snapped a 19-year winless streak in opening matches.
 
Sharing is Caring. Six different Keydets have recorded a goal while seven different players have earned an assist.
 
Scouting the Colonials
- UNC Asheville enters the match 1-1.
- Bulldogs won their season-opening match against Stetson, 3-1, before getting shutout by Virginia Tech, 2-0, who received votes in the latest poll.
- UNCA hosted #3 West Virginia and traveled to #20 Duke for their preseason matches.
- UNCA has put up three goals off 24 shots with 10 being on goal.
- Bulldogs' roster consists of one fifth-year, 13 seniors, eight juniors, four sophomores, and 11 freshmen.
- Charlie Farrar has posted eight saves in two starts between the posts, ranking 38th in the nation in total saves and 55th in saves per game.
- Louis Beckett has tallied one goal off five shots.
- Michael Wilkerson recorded the game-winning goal against Stetson.
- Brendan Herd has played 167 minutes, the most by a non-goalie Bulldog.
- Three different Bulldogs have scored a goal this season. - Head Coach Mike Giordano is in his fifth season and boasts 17 victories.
 - UNCA tends to play aggressive as they have the third-most yellow cards (8) with nearly 13 fouls per contest.
- Bulldogs have had 24 different players earn minutes.
- UNCA will face three other SoCon opponents: Wofford (9/10), ETSU (9/24), and Furman (10/22).
 
Series History
- VMI and UNC Asheville have had a tight all-time series with the Keydets holding a 10-11-1 record against the Bulldogs.
- First matchup was in 1988 when VMI won, 5-2.
- UNCA is 4-0-1 in the last five matchups.
- Last meeting September 16, 2023 when the Bulldogs were victorious, 2-0.
- This will be the 12th meeting in Asheville, North Carolina.
- From 2003 to 2014, both teams played in the Big South.
 
For more information, visit VMIKeydets.com or follow us on social media at VMI Athletics.