SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Wofford men's soccer team (5-5-1) took the senior day win against the VMI Keydets (2-7-3), 2-0, on Saturday night at Snyder Field. This marks the second of four straight home games for the Terriers.
The Terriers returned to the field in the same formation, 4-2-3-1, for the fifth game in a row.
Nick Dyer replaced
Gavin Lewis for the only change to the lineup. The starters included three seniors, three juniors, three sophomores and two freshmen.
First Half
The Terriers thought they got an early goal in the half, but
Samuel Byron was slightly early on his run and called offside. Wofford combined just a few minutes later as
Nathan Simes flicked a back-heeled ball from
Kalle Rahbek with one touch to
Stewart Patnaud. The senior's shot hit the right post and went in at the 12-minute mark.
Six minutes later, Patnaud almost extended the lead with an acrobatic bicycle kick attempt, but the VMI goalkeeper pulled out a reaching save to give the Terriers a corner. A short pass to Rahbek, he served it into a scramble of players, finding the head of Simes. Off the crossbar, the forward's shot created a jumble in the box, eventually being cleared away.
Wofford dominated throughout the half with 11 shots, five on target, against VMI's four, only one on target. VMI had four saves, while
Pepe Hinterschuster did not need to work as much with one save. The Keydets were yet to have a corner, while the Terriers had three. Multiple Wofford opportunities came close to adding to the lead, but the half ended 1-0.
Second Half
The game settled down early in the half, with neither team having strong chances. Wofford had a freekick attempt from the right side of the box, but it came to nought. VMI was able to fire off a free shot from the top of the box, but it went safely into the hands of Hinterschuster.
Jakob Andersson found space to play a curling ball into the box, finding the head of
Samuel Byron. The freshman made solid connection but was just wide of the post. This signaled a shift in momentum in the game. Just two minutes after, Byron found himself in behind the defense from a ball from Simes. Using his pace, the freshman barreled down the field, but was unselfish, finding the feet of
Nathan Simes. With a touch across his body, he placed a shot to the top right of the net, giving Wofford the two-goal lead.
While possession evened out, the Terriers continued to dominate the statistical categories. Wofford added ten more shots in the half, making it 21 on the night. The Keydets's lone shot was on target but was easily saved by Hinterschuster again. Wofford had three corners, while VMI was held to zero. Both teams finished with ten fouls, but the Keydets had two yellow cards to the Terriers' one.
Inside the Numbers
- Wofford was called offside three times; they had only been called off seven times before this game.
- Rahbek and Simes added to their team leading tallies on the night.
- Stewart Patnaud scored his first goal of the season.
Next Up
The Terriers return to action for their third of four straight home games against the Bulldogs. Snyder Field plays host to (RV) Gardner-Webb on Tuesday, October 7, at 7:00 p.m. All action is streamed exclusively on ESPN+.
