Soccer: East Carolina defeats VMI Keydets, 3-0

The VMI women’s soccer team fell by a 3-0 score to visiting East Carolina Sunday afternoon at Patchin Field in Lexington.

The Keydets (1-4-0) opened the game well by taking five shots in the first half and holding the Pirates (2-2-1) to just nine attempts. ECU managed to halt the energy midway through the opening half when Grace Doran took an assist from Maycie McDougal at the top of the box and shot it into the upper left corner of the VMI net to put the Pirates up, 1-0, in what proved to be the game-winning goal. The teams would battle without another score until the half.

East Carolina increased the pressure in the second half, only outshooting the Keydets by a 10-7 margin but putting in two security goals in the latter stanza to yield the 3-0 win.

Doran scored her second goal of the game and season in the 51st minute (50:38) off an assist from Lexi Moore as she broke away from the VMI backline and shot the ball into the upper left corner of the corner for 2-0 advantage. With under 10 minutes remaining in the game ECU’s Sophia Demark scored off an assist from Tori Riggs for the game’s final tally.

Four different Keydets took a pair of shots on the afternoon including Whitney Edwards-Roberson, Sam Franklin, Julianne Knoblett and Sam Fee, with four of them requiring a save from the ECU keeper. Doran earned a game-high five shot attempts for ECU.

VMI freshman keeper Noelle Heilpern drops to 1-4 on the year despite eight saves on the afternoon. ECU’s Melanie Stiles earned the win with four saves throughout.

The Keydets return to action Friday, Sept. 13, with a match at Loyola (Md.) at 7 p.m. in Baltimore, Maryland.