LEXINGTON, Va. – VMI Men's Soccer continues its homestand on Saturday against Howard at Patchin Field.
The Keydets (1-4-3) will honor its seven seniors -
Zack Murphy,
Colin Blandford,
Timofey Dovgalyuk,
Andres Fuentes-Ramos,
Anthony Pate,
Arnold Rutkauskas, and
Adam Senna - before the 3 p.m. kickoff against the Bison (0-5-1). It has been an even matchup between both squads in recent years, as the past three meetings have been decided by one goal.
Keys to the Keydets
Keydets Rally To Tie Ferrum. After a late goal by
Thimson Duolo, VMI rallied back to earn a draw against Ferrum, 1-1.
Goal Scorer. Thimson Duolo earned his team-leading third goal of the campaign, scoring in back-to-back matches.
Dishing It Out. Jesse Lee put up a pair of brilliant assists to lift the Keydets to a tie against Central Connecticut State. Lee's two assists are a season-high and bring his team-leading total to three, which now ranks 43rd in the country.
Racking Minutes. Zack Murphy ranks 52nd nationally with 585 goalie minutes played. He sits fifth in program history with over 3,600 minutes played.
Young Stat Leaders. All three goal leaders are freshmen:
Rowen Choi,
Jack Yough, and
Thimson Duolo. Joining the young squad with the second-most assists on the team is
Sam Dowdy. Duolo ranks second in the SoCon with 18 shots and 10 shots on goal.
Life Saver. Zack Murphy ranks in the top 20 among DI goalies with 28 saves and in the top 50 with four saves per game. Both statistics are number one in the league.
National Ranks. VMI ranks in the top 50 with 37 total points, 13 total goals, and 4.25 saves per game.
SoCon Ranks. VMI ranks first in the conference with 43 corner kicks, 34 saves, and 4.25 saves per game.
Scouting the Bison
- Howard is 0-5-1 and has lost its last three matchups.
- The Bison tied against Navy, 1-1, in Annapolis.
- Howard's last match was a 5-0 defeat to Delaware; however, the Bison were able to put up a season-high eight shots and five on target.
- Howard begins a three-match road stint starting at VMI, before traveling to #19 Duke and D-I newbie New Haven for NEC play.
- The Bison have been outscored 14-2, but both goals have come on the road.
- Howard ranks fifth nationally with over six saves per game, and ranks 17th with nearly nine fouls per contest.
- Liam Keiller and Ireal Wyze-Daly have split goalkeeping duties thus far, each playing and starting in three contests. Keiller ranks third in the country with six saves per game, while Wyze-Daly stands ninth with five per game.
- Daniil Kaban, last season's NEC All-Rookie Team honoree, and Roman Stallings lead the offensive charge with one goal apiece.
- Head Coach Phillip Gyau took over the helm in April 2014, bringing more than 25 years of experience to the position as a respected coach and a former U.S. National Team Player.
Series History
- VMI is 3-9-6 against Howard.
- First meeting was in 2004, when the Bison defeated the Keydets, 2-1, in Washington, D.C.
- Last season, VMI took down Howard, 2-1, for their first D-I victory of 2024.
For more information, visit VMIKeydets.com or follow us on social media at VMI Athletics.
