LEXINGTON, Va. – Three players scored their first collegiate goals as the men's soccer team defeated the VMI Keydets Saturday afternoon 6-0 at Patchin Field to close out the 2015 regular season.
 
Midfielder Will Puckett led the Terriers with two goals, and forwards Nicky Watson and Jack Sicker each contributed a goal and an assist in the victory.
 
The Terriers (9-6-2, 4-5-1 SoCon) scored their first goal of the match in the 36th minute. Watson beat a Keydet defender to the ball on the left side of the net and crossed it to midfielder Will Puckett. Puckett then found the back of the net with his shot, his fourth goal of the season.
 
Watson would add a goal of his own six minutes later. Forward Jack Sicker fed Watson a leading pass to the left side. The junior then lined up a shot that hit the right post and ricocheted into the net for Watson's second goal of the season.
 
The Terriers took the 2-0 halftime lead and kept the momentum moving into the second half. Puckett scored his second goal of the match at the 53' mark on a shot from 20 yards out, earning his fifth goal of the season.
 
Sicker then put home his first collegiate goal about a minute later. Forward Connor Copeland fed Sicker a pass inside the box to set up Sicker one-on-one with VMI keeper Alex Guerra. Sicker shot a grounder under Guerra's hand into the right side of the net, giving the Terriers a 4-0 lead.
 
Forward Matthew Ward added a goal for the Terriers in the 80th minute, his first of his collegiate career. The freshman split the defense and shot the ball from the right side of the box into the middle of the net for the goal.
 
Midfielder Jordan Poff scored the Terrier's final goal of the match in the closing minutes. He broke away from the Keydet defense and beat the keeper one-on-one to score his first collegiate goal and give the Terriers the 6-0 final score.
 
The Terrier defense played strong as well in the match, holding VMI to only two shots on goal, one in each half. Terrier goalkeepers Garrett Closs and Joe Wichmann were able to save one shot each in the match, combining for the Terriers' fourth shutout victory this season. Guerra took the loss for VMI and finished the match with four saves while playing all 90 minutes in net.
 
Wofford outshot VMI 20-14 in the match, with both teams having two corner kick opportunities. Midfielder Andrew Starnes led the Keydets (0-18, 0-10 SoCon) with three shots and one shot on goal in the match.
 
"We were anxious to play today," Head Coach Ralph Polson said after the match. "The Furman game ripped our hearts out and it was tough to turn around and play again. We were too tight to start the game, and we got the first goal and started to relax a little. We talked about a couple things at halftime about playing forward and faster in the second half. We did a good job in the second half of keeping people behind the ball, looking to win it, playing forward fast and really attacking with numbers in a hurry."
 
Coach Polson also said the win helped give his team confidence heading into the Southern Conference Tournament.
 
"We needed this," he said. "It was nice to get minutes for guys we brought on the trip. Everybody's happy and relaxed, so it'll be a good ride home and a solid week of practice and get ready for ETSU. We know we can beat them, but it'll be a real fight."
 
The Terriers will enter the Southern Conference Tournament as the fifth seed, finishing fifth in the regular season standings. The team will travel to ETSU next Saturday, Nov. 7 to play the four-seed Buccaneers. Match time is to be announced at a later time.