A Jenna West goal off a free kick from 25 yards out broke a 1-1 tie and sent the Mountaineers of Mount St. Mary’s past the VMI Keydets, 2-1, in women’s soccer action Sunday at Patchin Field in Lexington, Va.
The Mount (2-3-1) had tied the match 1-1 in the 53rd minute, and West then drew a foul on the left side of the field from 25 yards out. The free kick was perfectly placed into the upper right corner of the net, beating VMI (3-4) keeper Ceci Keppeler and giving the visitors a lead they would not relinquish.
VMI jumped ahead in the 18th minute, when Amy Horney headed home an Emma Quirk corner kick for a 1-0 Keydet advantage. It was the first career goal for the senior. The Keydets controlled the pace for the rest of the half, as evidenced by their outshooting the visitors 13-2 during the period.
VMI nearly doubled its lead at 36:13, but a leaping punch save by Mount keeper Maddy Bunnell kept it at 1-0, and that play loomed large in the second half.
The Mountaineers tied it in the 53rd minute. Off a scramble in front, Jaylyn Chandler avoided a pair of VMI defenders and played the ball by Keppeler to tie the match, 1-1, and set the stage for the eventual game-winner.
For the match, VMI finished with a 19-10 edge in shots, although MSM held an 8-6 lead in the second half. VMI had nine of the match’s 14 shots on goal, but Mount St. Mary’s earned eight corner kicks for the match, one more than the team had earned in its first five matches combined.
Bunnell made eight saves, while Emily Marbury and Keppeler combined were credited with three.
VMI women’s soccer will return to action Friday, when the Keydets take on Saint Francis (Pa.) in a road matchup. Opening kick is set for 4 p.m.
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