Competing in its first road match of the season, the VMI women’s soccer team fell by a 4-0 score to host East Carolina as the Pirates used a strong second half to pull away for the non-conference win.
The Keydets (0-2-0) and Pirates (1-1-0) battled to a scoreless first half as East Carolina’s six shot attempts sailed wide of the net to go with two saves by VMI keeper Jillian Hall. VMI nearly scored midway through the first half when a corner kick by VMI reached defender Sam Fee but her header landed just above the crossbar to evade the Keydets’ early lead.
East Carolina turned up the pressure in the second half en route to a 15-3 shots advantage during the stanza, a method that proved effective resulting in four unanswered goals to finish the game. Haley McWhirter scored first at the 54:19 mark off an assist from Holly Schlagel.
Ten minutes later, the Pirates scored two quick back-to-back goals as Samantha Moxie put one in at the 67:32 mark and Grace Doran added the other a minute later at 68:57. Brooke Burzynski would later add an insurance goal late in the game to put the game out of reach at 4-0.
The Pirates finished the match with a 21-4 shots advantage, including nine shots on frame. Hall finished with five saves on the evening for the Keydets while ECU keeper Maeve English ended up with a pair.
VMI freshman Riley Flanagan logged two shots to lead the Keydets while senior Maria Vargas and sophomore Sam Fee each had one apiece.
The Keydets return home this week for a pair of home games starting with a Thursday matchup against Iona College at 1 p.m. VMI then hosts Winthrop Saturday at 1 p.m. at Patchin Field.
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