CHARLESTON, S.C. – Suzuka Yosue scored a goal in each half and Devyn Nyhart added a late strike of her own as The Citadel captured Friday afternoon's rivalry bout with VMI, defeating the Keydets, 3-0, at WLI Field in the 13th edition of the series.
 
Game Information
Final Score: The Citadel 3, VMI 0
Record: The Citadel (7-6-2, 1-3 SoCon), VMI (1-4-2, 0-4-1 SoCon)
Location: Charleston, S.C. (WLI Field)
Series: VMI leads 7-6
 
How It Happened

• Early pressure from The Citadel led to a pair of corners, but the offense was unable to capitalize until the 8:36 mark, when VMI's goalkeeper fumbled the ball at the edge of the box and a charging Suzuka Yosue gained control. With no one between her and the face of the goal, the sophomore fired to give the Bulldogs an early 1-0 lead.
• Hannah Roth nearly doubled the lead in the final minute of the half, breaking free from her defender and launching a shot, but Sidney Swoope was there for the stop as The Citadel carried its 1-0 advantage into the halftime break.
• Much like the first half, The Citadel came out of the locker room attempting to pressure VMI and double its lead. Just over five minutes into the second half, the Bulldogs did just that as Ani Ford slotted a pass over to Yosue, who was able to beat the goalkeeper for her second tally of the day.
• VMI nearly pulled one back a few minutes later during a scrum in front of the Bulldogs' net, but Brie Sikes collected the threatening shot for her lone save of the afternoon to preserve her clean sheet.
• Ford pulled back from distance in the 74th minute and the strong wind at The Citadel's back nearly floated the ball into the net, but the chance fell just wide right of the post.
• Off a corner kick in the 85th minute, The Citadel got its final goal of the afternoon as Maria Contreras' perfectly-placed corner found the head of Devyn Nyhart, who beat the keeper low to secure the 3-0 victory for the Bulldogs.

 
Inside the Numbers

• Suzuka Yosue scored her first two goals of the season, and Friday's match was also the first of her career with multiple goals since arriving last season. Yosue's goals were also her first points of the spring after she collected five assists during the fall portion of the 2020-21 campaign.
• Ani Ford tallied the third assist of her career and first since Sept. 19, 2019, on Yosue's second goal of the afternoon.
• Devyn Nyhart's 85th-minute goal was her second of the season and sixth of her career. Nyhart also scored in the spring opener at Anderson on Feb. 14.
• Maria Contreras served up Nyhart's headed goal off a corner kick, logging the eighth assist of her career and first of 2020-21. Contreras now has sole possession of eighth place on The Citadel's career assists list.
• The Citadel pushed its winning streak in the rivalry against VMI to three consecutive matches, its first-ever three-match winning streak over thee Keydets.
• The Citadel scored three or more goals for the fourth time this season and the first since netting four at Anderson on Feb. 14. The three goals were its most in a Southern Conference match since also scoring three against Furman on Oct. 25, 2019.
• The three-goal margin matched The Citadel's biggest win over the Keydets; the Bulldogs also downed VMI 3-0 on Oct. 29, 2014.
• The Citadel logged its fifth shutout of the season and first since a 1-0 win over Jacksonville on Feb. 19.
• Brie Sikes earned her third career solo shutout and first since The Citadel's 1-0 win over Belmont Abbey on Oct. 3, 2020. Sikes is now just one behind Whitney Nave for the program's career solo shutouts record.

 
Up Next
The Citadel will face a quick turnaround before its next match as the Bulldogs are set to close out the weekend at home against UNCG on Sunday morning at 11 a.m. The Citadel will be seeking its first-ever win over the Spartans, who have come away victorious in all 19 previous meetings in the series.