LEXINGTON, Va. – VMI Men's Soccer continues the Southern Conference slate, traveling to No. 23 UNC Greensboro on Saturday.
The Keydets (2-7-3, 0-1-0) look to upset the nationally-recognized Spartans (7-2-2, 0-1-0) at UNCG Soccer Stadium. Both clubs are seeking their first conference win of the season.
Keys to the Keydets
VMI Falls in League Opener. The Keydets dropped their SoCon opener against Wofford, 2-0.
No Days Off. Four Keydets have played in all 12 matches this season:
Thimson Duolo,
Jack Yough,
Timofey Dovgalyuk, and
Jordan Savage. Dovgalyuk is the only Keydet to have started in all matches.
Racking Minutes. Zack Murphy has played 945 goalie minutes this year, ranking 60th nationally, which brings his career total to 4,002, which ranks third all-time at VMI.
Household Name. Making his mark in his first collegiate season is
Thimson Duolo, who leads the Keydets with three goals, while boasting two assists. Duolo ranks fifth in the SoCon with 23 shots, third with 12 shots on goal, and eighth with three goals.
Top 50. VMI ranks in the top 50 nationally in saves per game with over four, which also leads the conference.
Dishing It Out. Jesse Lee has tallied a team-leading three assists this season, along with a second-best five points.
Saves History. Zack Murphy nabbed his 198th career save against Wofford. He now ranks fifth in VMI goalkeeper history.
Young Stat Leaders. All three goal leaders are freshmen:
Rowen Choi,
Jack Yough, and
Thimson Duolo. Duolo and Choi are also two of the top three in total points. Joining the young squad with the second-most assists on the team is
Sam Dowdy. Yough has played 990 minutes on the back line, the most for VMI this season.
Life Saver. Zack Murphy ranks 20th among D-I goalies with 46 saves, the best in the league, and 39th with over four saves per game, the second-most in the conference.
Scouting the Spartans
- UNCG is 7-2-2 (0-1-0) and is ranked 23rd in the United Soccer Coaches poll and is 28th in RPI.
- The Spartans entered last week ranked 10th nationally.
- UNCG upset No. 5 High Point, 2-0, on Wednesday.
- The Spartans dropped their lone SoCon contest to ETSU, 2-1.
- UNCG's offense ranks in the top 25 nationally in five categories, including points per game, scoring offense, shot accuracy, total goals, and total points.
- The Spartans' defense has held teams to one goal and eight shots per contest.
- Goalkeeper Seth Wilson has two clean sheets and 18 saves. Wilson also ranks 25th in the country with 990 goalie minutes played.
- Enzo Dovlo ranks first in the league with 20 points, seven goals, and six assists. Dovlo stands seventh in points, 11th in assists, and 13th in goals nationally.
- Arnaud Tattevin has posted three game-winning goals, the eighth most in D-I.
- Head Coach Chris Rich has been at the helm since 2019, leading the squad to four SoCon regular season crowns and two tournament titles.
Series History
- VMI is 1-24 all-time against UNCG.
- First meeting was in 1987, ending in a 3-0 home victory for the Keydets.
- Last season, the Spartans, who were receiving votes in the national poll, took down the Keydets, 1-0, in Lexington
For more information, visit VMIKeydets.com or follow us on social media at VMI Athletics.
