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2006 Game Summaries -Men
Longwood 1 – VMI 0
UNC-A 1 – VMI 0
BSC 3 – VMI 2
Coastal Carolina 2 – VMI 0
Gardner-Webb 4 – VMI 0
Winthrop 1 – VMI 0
VMI and W&L Tie 0-0
Tommy Upton records his eighth career shutout, to tie Gary Morgan '81 for the VMI record.
High Point 2 – VMI 0
Howard 3 – VMI 1
Big Crowd Watches Va Tech Upend VMI 7-1
1100 plus fans were on hand Friday night under the lights in Blacksburg to watch VMI and Virginia Tech square off. The Hokies came out showing the style that has kept them nationally ranked these season (as high as 8th in one poll). They used their highly skilled, well balanced attack to pressure the Keydets and for a good part of the game, the Keydets handled it quite well. Exceptional play and tremendous hustle from the defense, and some tremendous saves from keeper John Sollock held the Hokies to only two goals in the first 70 minutes (one was a questionable penalty kick). Unfortunately, as the second half wore on, the grueling pace of tremendous hustle took its toll and as the Keydets began to tire out, Tech took advantage and put in a few more goals. Offensively, the Keydets did a lot of good things, just not quite as frequently as Tech. The 4:1 ratio of shots on goal was a fair indication of the split for ball control. The return of Mike Lloyd at midfield was a plus, and his play in the transition game was instrumental in many of the Keydet attacks. The Keydets managed to get one in when Parker Thurman(pictured below) challenged the Hokie keeper for a corner kick, causing the ball to pop out to Jose Andueza who hammered it into the net.
Despite
the loss, the Keydets did many things right and played up to a
stronger opponent. Look for Tech in this years NCAA Tournament. They
should be there and could do quite well.
Radford 1- VMI 0
VMI Tops Campbell 2-1
A Big Win against a tough opponent (Campbell was ranked 8th in the southeast last week). Goals by Chuck Nweke and Ed Mills. We heard Tommy Upton played a heck of a game in goal and the defense looked great.
Keydets Come Up Short, 3-2 in Thriller Against Liberty
It's a shame the VMI-Liberty soccer game was played on a Tuesday when many fans couldn't make the trip to see it because this game may end up being one of the most exciting games of the season. The Keydets got their first chance to play a dry game on their new field, and the new turf provided an excellent surface for a fast paced game. Liberty came out showing the style that enabled them to outshoot #1 ranked UNC and they certainly kept the VMI defense on their toes and gave keeper Tommy Upton the chance to make several nice saves. The action went back and forth for the entire game. As Liberty was working their way to a 3-0 lead, the Keydets continued to fight and apply plenty of pressure. As the second half wore on, the VMI offense really came to life and for about a fifteen minute period took complete control of the game, taking a slew of shots and scoring two goals.
Goal Number one: Tony Nweke juking around the Liberty keeper and tapping it in the net for his first collegiate goal,
and
Goal Number Two, Chuck Nweke blasting it past the keeper.
After
pulling to within one goal, the Keydets kept up the pressure and came
close with several good scoring opportunities. The action in the
final ten minutes was going back and forth and both teams had their
fair share of chances to score. When the final whistle blew, everyone
there knew that one heck of a match had been played. While they
certainly can't be happy with the loss, you can bet the team is happy
with the way they played.
William and Mary 5 – VMI 0
Keydets Keep Streak Alive, Defeat Southern Virginia 2-1
VMI tops neighboring SVU for the fourth time. Parker Thurman scores first with an assist from Jeremy Clements; Chuck Nweke follows with Rat Will Quarle's first collegiate assist.
NOTE: To let everyone know how good Appalachian State is this year, they knocked off Big South favorite Winthrop 1-0 on Sunday.
Keydets Continue to Improve Despite 3-0 Loss to Long Island
It's rare to leave the stadium feeling good after a 3-0 loss, and feeling good may not be the best way to describe it, but VMI fans left Radford Sunday with very good feelings about the team and the way they performed against Long Island University. Ball control and the flow of the match was very evenly split between the two teams, providing plenty of excitement and a great match to watch. While the Keydets had a little trouble closing, Long Island managed to capitalize on a few VMI mistakes for the win. Don't be fooled by the score: this was a much closer match. Familiarity is beginning to sink in and the Keydets did a much better job of moving the ball up the field. An anonymous parent said it best after the game with one small quote, “It's Coming.”
Keydets fall to App State 5-2
While the final score was less than pleasing, it was a fairly accurate depiction of the overall play of the Men's Team season opener in the Radford Tourney. With many new faces in many new places, the team did show marked improvement over last weeks scrimmage while playing against a much tougher opponent. There were times when things went well, and there were times when...well they didn't. The team is beginning to gel under Coach Freakley's new system.
We won't complain about the officiating, it didn't affect the outcome, but we had the magician from “Frosty and the Snowman” blowing the whistle again, which means only one thing: the game had to be delayed several times while players and coaches from both teams were pulled aside and counseled on how they are not supposed to complain about the officiating, no matter how bad it is.
Next up: Long Island University a 2-1 loser to Radford in today's second game.
Keydet Rally Comes Up Short, VMI Falls to GWU 2-1(Scrimmage)
Friday's scrimmage against George Washington University started out rather slow for the Keydets. Coach Freakley obviously wanted to see what the rats could do and he played them frequently for a good part of the game. While they showed signs of glimmer, the lack of cohesion associated with playing many new faces allowed GW to set the pace and score two first half goals to none for VMI. Among the Rats that stood out was #15, Will Quarles who held a steady presence on the field and played with a great deal of intellegence.
Coach Freakley continued to play numerous Rats up until the mid point of the second half when he stacked the roster with upperclassmen. At that point the upperclassmen took control of the game and began an uncanning offensive assault on the opposition. Parker Thurman started things off with this shot that rang the post.
While
it didn't find the net, the sound of the ball hitting the post woke
everybody up for the onslaught that was about to begin. The Keydets
took complete control of the game and continued to strike with
reckless abandon.
Eventually,
Chuck Nweke found the net with this shot
and
it appeared as though the Keydets would tie it up or even take the
lead. Unfortunately, time ran out and GW ran off with a 2-1 victory.
Coach Freakley must have been pleased. He got a great assessment of
the new players, and his veterans came to life when called upon.
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