Perouty ’21 Joins 70-Goal Club, Fant ’21 Leads in Points

The VMI lacrosse team saw many moments of brilliance and signs of improvement in the 2021 season, James Purpura’s first at the helm.

Ryan Perouty ’21 joined the prestigious VMI 100-Point Club and 70-Goal Club to etch his name in the VMI record book. He earned his 100th career point off an assist at Jacksonville to become the 18th Keydet in program history to attain the feat. A few weeks later, he joined the 70-Goal Club in the game versus Mount St. Mary’s as he logged his 70th career goal in a Keydet uniform. He would go on to finish his VMI career with 110 points and 74 goals. He is one of only 15 Keydets to join the 70-Goal Club in program history.

The 2021 squad was captained by Eric Lane ’21, long stick midfielder; Jon Fant ’21, attackman; and Bill Osteen ’21, goalkeeper.

The first three games of the season were canceled or postponed due to COVID-19 protocols for VMI’s opponents, but the Keydets got the campaign started on the right foot with an exciting 13-12 win over Lafayette on the road, as Hartley Jordan ’23 and Scout Ripley ’23 both earned hat tricks on the day.

Fant led the team with 34 points on the season, including 13 goals and 21 assists. Jordan finished second on the team with 24 points on 13 goals and 11 assists, while Ripley came in third with 22 points on 21 goals and one assist. Perouty finished the season with 21 points on 13 goals and eight assists, while Michael Santos ’22 totaled 17 points, including 15 goals and two assists.

Luke McDonald ’24 was named the team’s Rookie of the Year, Jordan was given the Most Improved Player honor, Lane received Defensive Player of the Year recognition, and Fant the Offensive Player of the Year award. Osteen was given the team’s Fred Award for his display of the program’s core values; he was a role model for excelling academically, on the hill, and on the lacrosse field.