VMI men’s soccer program had an outstanding season in fall 2023, which included a Division I win and Southern Conference honors awarded to multiple cadet-athletes.—Photo courtesy VMI Athletics.
The 2023 campaign was an outstanding one for the VMI men’s soccer team. Early in the year, the Keydets earned the program’s first win against a Division I opponent since 2014 in a 1-0 victory over Radford on Drill Field No. 2 Sept. 29, 2023. Following that huge win, VMI had its first Southern Conference Player of the Week since 2002 when Kyle Grant ’27 earned SoCon Offensive Player of the Week, and Dylan Holbach ’26 was tabbed SoCon Defensive Player of the Week Sept. 26.
The Keydets kept rolling with a 9-0 win over Regent University Oct. 11—the team’s most goals in a game in 16 years. VMI scored the most goals for the program against a Division I foe since 2012 in a 4-2 win at Queens University Oct. 25.
VMI’s five wins is the most for the program since 2007, and Cole Mooney ’25 earned Second Team All-SoCon honors, while Grant landed on the All-Freshman Team. VMI’s last player to earn first or second all-conference honors was in 2015.
VMI scored the most goals in 17 years and ranked in the top 70 in Division I for total goals. Defensively, the Keydets conceded the lowest goal total per game in 14 seasons and posted the most shutouts in 15 years.
At the conclusion of the season, Drew Menges ’25, defender, was named to the College Sports Communicators Division I Academic All-District Men’s Soccer Team for his efforts on the field and in the classroom. The last time the Keydet men’s soccer program landed a student-athlete on the all-district team was in 2008.
