LEXINGTON, Va. – VMI Men's Soccer hits the road again, this time to battle Saint Peter's on Sunday at 2 p.m. in Jersey City, New Jersey.
The Keydets (3-4) will look to pick up where they left off after defeating Howard on Patchin Field last weekend. The Peacocks (0-6-1) are still searching for win number one and looking to defend Jaroschak Field.
Keys to the Keydets
Keydets Back on Track. VMI returned to home territory last weekend and took down Howard, 2-1, to get back in the win column. With the victory, it is the first time since 2014 that the Keydets have won against a D-I opponent on Patchin Field.
3-0 on the Patch. The Keydets are now 3-0 at home, marking the first time VMI has won three straight home matches since 2005. It's also the first time VMI has won the first three home matches since 1991.
Game-Winning Grant. Kyle 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.
Grant Lands Weekly Honor. After his outing against Howard,
Kyle Grant was named the SoCon Offensive Player of the Week.
He's the Huang. With his second goal of the season coming against Howard,
Anthony Huang leads VMI in points and shots, and ties for goals. He's also fifth in the league in total points.
Leading the League. The Keydets lead all SoCon teams in points per game, saves per game, scoring offense, shots per game, total goals, and total points.
Game Winners. Anthony Huang,
Kyle Grant, and
Jesse Lee have each tallied game-winning goals.
Murphy Minutes. Goalkeeper
Zack Murphy has played in 617 minutes and has recorded 33 saves between the posts with one clean sheet.
Chaffey's World. Elliot Chaffey has led the back line this season. He also leads the team in assists with three, the 42nd most in the country and second most in the conference.
Life Saver. Zack Murphy ranks 10th in saves with 33 and 24th in saves per game with nearly five among the entire NCAA D-I field. Both stats lead the SoCon.
MAAC Attack. Saint Peter's will be VMI's third MAAC opponent of the season.
Big Shots. Anthony Huang has posted over 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.
Woongchan Oh has accumulated 15 shots which is second in the conference.
Big Time Minutes. Only four VMI players have played in at least 80% of possible game minutes:
Alexei Royar,
Colin Blandford,
Timofey Dovgalyuk, and
Zack Murphy.
Sharing is Caring. Seven different Keydets have recorded a goal while seven different players have earned an assist.
NCAA D-I Success. The Keydets recorded their first win over a D-I opponent of the season, making it the second-straight season with D-I victories for the first time since the 2013/14 seasons.
Scouting the Peacocks
- Saint Peter's enters the match 0-6-1 and members of the MAAC.
- Peacocks have lost six straight and have been outscored 18-2 in that span.
- SPU is looking for their first win since September 30, 2023.
- SPU earned a tie against Villanova in the first match of the season.
- This will be the Peacocks' third match at Jaroschak Field in 2024.
- SPU fell to Binghampton, 3-1, on Tuesday.
- Sunday's match will be the last non-conference match for the Peacocks.
- SPU has posted four goals on 42 shots with 19 coming on target while allowing their opponents 20 goals on 140 shots with 54 on goal.
- Peacocks have earned 34 saves with 31 coming from Pedro Alves.
- Conlan Paventi has tallied a team-leading two goals, two assists, and six points while taking 13 shots and four shots on goal.
Series History
- VMI is 0-1-1 against Saint Peter's.
- Last meeting was in 2022 which ended in a 2-2 tie.
- First meeting was in 2019 which found the Peacocks victorious, 5-0.
- This will be the second-straight matchup in Jersey City, New Jersey.
For more information, visit VMIKeydets.com or follow us on social media at VMI Athletics.
