VMI Falls in Final Minutes at Mercer

Despite a 0-0 tie at halftime and most of the second half, the VMI women’s soccer team fell to host Mercer in the final moments of the match as the Bears escaped with a 1-0 victory at Betts Stadium in Macon, Georgia, Oct. 6, 2024.

With just over 8 minutes left in regulation, Mercer’s Lena Dykes scored her first goal of the season after fielding a rebound from a shot by teammate Karia Karipidis and putting it into the back of the net to lift the Bears (9-3-2, 3-1-1) to victory at the 81:19 mark of the second half.

The Keydets (5-7-1, 1-4) tried furiously to catch up in the final moments and earned a few scoring opportunities on the Mercer end but could not put in a goal as the host team earned a 1-0 win on its own turf.

Key Stats

• Whitney Tracy ’25, VMI keeper, nearly earned the shutout before Mercer’s late goal but registered 10 saves over the course of the game.
• The Bears earned 28 shot attempts during the match—including 15 in the second half—and logged 13 corner kick opportunities.
• Lindsay Bell, Mercer goalie, earned two saves in her personal victory.
• One of the nation’s leading scorers, Mercer’s Larkin Thomason, had a game-high six shot attempts on the day but never found the back of the VMI net.
• Jada Moorman and Maria Karipidis had four shots apiece for the Bears.
• Sedona Dancu ’25, VMI forward, led VMI with two shots on the afternoon, while Emma Rice ’28 contributed one.

Editor’s Note: This article was first published at vmikeydets.com.