LEXINGTON, Va. – The Wofford women's soccer team (4-8-5, 1-4-2) snatched their first conference win on the road at VMI (1-14-1, 0-7-0) Thursday night with early first half goals from Julia Grier and Ines Obradovac.
In their 2-0 win, the Terriers came out in a dominate performance over the Keydets to clinch three points on the road.
"It was a good, mature performance on the road which is difficult to get," head coach Kevin Dempsey said after tonight's match. "We've been competing; we've been super close. They've never stopped believing in themselves and never stopped competing."
The Terriers' offense came out strong in the first half, making their presence known in the Keydets' box. Ellie Gower came out with the first opportunity to put the Terriers on the board first in the 13th minute, but her shot missed left of the post.
Wofford's front line didn't stop there when Kaliegh Gonzales answered back with her own chance but was quickly blocked by VMI's defense nearing the 15th minute.
After two missed chances, Wofford saw an opportunity with Gower launching the ball on a free kick deep in the box to Julia Grier to sink the ball in the back of the net with her head to bring the Terriers a 1-0 lead at 16:37.
"We want to be plus one on the restarts," Dempsey said. "We want to be plus one, and we definitely were."
The Keydets amped up their offense to find opportunities to equalize the match. However, the Terriers' front line was making a strong effort to continue their dominance in possession. Gonzales held quick possession before passing the ball to Gower to swiftly place it in the feet of Obradovac to secure the Terriers to a 2-0 advantage at 19:50.
Wofford kept a perfect balance between the front and back lines for the remainder of the first half. The Terriers saw opportunities from Mary Liese Grier, Delaney Minor and Julia Grier once more before the half ended, but each of their shots missed.
The Terriers ended the first half with seven shots, three on goal, compared to VMI's two shots, both on goal. The Terriers only had one corner kick while the Keydets had two. Elizabeth Navola recorded two saves compared to VMI's one.
The Terriers came back from the halftime break holding firm to ensure the Keydets didn't see any opportunities to strike. However, VMI saw two early chances to put themselves on the board. The Terriers' defense held strong forcing their shots high and away from the net.
Despite this, the Keydets outshot the Terriers in the second half seven to three. Navola held her line in the goal firm, saving two opportunities by VMI's front line in the final ten minutes to secure her fourth clean sheet of the season.
"It was a great team effort, so many moments in the game when the back line did so well, everyone did well," Dempsey said. "This wasn't going to be an easy one to get points, so I'm really proud of them."
The Terriers ended the match with ten shots, six on goal, compared to the Keydets' nine shots, four on goal. Navola had four saves and a shutout to her name.
Notes:
Gower made her 50th career start in tonight's match up. This is her 38th consecutive start, dating back to October 27, 2023, when the Terriers played Western Carolina in the Southern Conference Tournament.
Gower also had two assists, bringing her career total to ten.
Kaliegh Gonzales recorded her first career assist and point.
Navola recorded her fourth clean sheet of the season, bringing her career total to seven.
As a freshman, Julia Grier is now tied with Ansley Elizalde for the best rookie season with her fourth goal in tonight's match.
Obradovac's third goal of the season in tonight's match moved her to eighth in career goals scored in program history with 17.
The Terriers are back at home one last time for their Breast Cancer Awareness and Alumni Recognition game against Furman (8-2-5, 2-1-4) on Sunday, October 19, with kickoff slated for 2 p.m. The match will be streamed on ESPN +.
