GREENSBORO, N.C. – The No. 3-seeded UNC Greensboro (UNCG) men's soccer team begins postseason play on Thursday afternoon, hosting the No. 6 VMI Keydets in the Southern Conference (SoCon) quarterfinals at UNCG Soccer Stadium. Kickoff in Greensboro is set for 5 p.m. on ESPN+.
Finishing the regular season 5-2-9 overall and an unbeaten 2-0-4 in SoCon play, the Spartans carry a 4-1-4 record at home this season into the side's first postseason game of the year. VMI enters Thursday at 6-12-1 and 1-5 in the SoCon, the Keydets successfully knocking off No. 7 seed Mercer 1-0 in the program's first ever home game in the SoCon tournament.
Match information
Game 17: UNC Greensboro (5-2-9, 2-0-4 SoCon) vs. VMI (6-12-1, 1-5-0 SoCon)
Date & time: Thursday, Nov. 5 at 5 p.m. (ET)
Location: Greensboro, N.C. | UNCG Soccer Stadium
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Tickets: Can be purchased here. All students at Southern Conference schools and kids five and under can get in for free.
Coverage: Live Stats | ESPN+
Social media: Follow the UNC Greensboro men's soccer team on Instagram (@uncgsoccer), Twitter (@UNCGsoccer), and Facebook (UNCGMensSoccer) to keep track of all the action and updates.
Series history vs. VMI
Following UNCG's 4-0 win in Lexington, Virginia, earlier in the season, the Spartans carry a 26-0-0 record against the Keydets. A win on Thursday would mark the second straight season for the Blue & Gold with a pair of wins over the Keydets after UNCG claimed 2-0 and 5-1 results in 2024.
Oct. 17's win saw Keaviano Francis strike twice and assist a tally for Malo Jungling, along with Filipe Matos. Caleb Borneo converted a penalty kick for UNCG's fourth and final goal.
The Spartans took on VMI in a No. 3/No. 6 matchup in last season's SoCon tournament as well, routing the Keydets 5-1 behind a hat trick from alum Arnaud Tattevin.
UNCG in the SoCon tournament
UNCG sports five SoCon tournament titles since arriving in the league in 1997, with the last time the Spartans hoisted the trophy being 2022. The Blue & Gold nearly earned a sixth in 2024, falling 1-0 to Furman in double overtime in the title game on Nov. 16.
The field as it stands
If UNCG defeats VMI, the Spartans will take on Wofford in Spartanburg, South Carolina, at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 8. Should the Spartans advance, the highest seed in the SoCon championship game will host the final game of the tournament on either Friday, Nov. 13 or Saturday, Nov. 14.
No. 4 ETSU hosts No. 5 Liberty at 3 p.m. on Thursday, the winner advancing to play No. 1 Furman at 7 p.m. on Nov. 8.
All-SoCon Spartans
UNCG placed seven players on the SoCon All-Conference list, tied with Furman for the most of any team in the league, and collected two of the three individual player awards as announced by the league on Wednesday.
Seth Wilson was named the SoCon Goalkeeper of the Year, while Francis took home the league's first ever Newcomer of the Year award. Both players joined Trym Linberg on the first team All-Conference list.
Lasse Dahl, Tiago Campos, Pablo Torre and Mathis Robinand all earned spots on the SoCon second team, the first All-Conference nods for each with the Spartans. For the full All-Conference release, click here.
Scouting the Keydets
By beating Mercer on Tuesday, head coach Nick Regan's team achieved its first six-win season since 2007, when the Keydets finished 6-10-3. Forward Yeirin Mejia, who scored the winner over the Bears, now stands at 20 points for the season with nine goals and two assists. Jaden Moore is second with 13 points, having scored six goals with one assist, while Sam Dowdy is tied for the SoCon assists lead with five.
Team leaders for the Spartans
- Goals: Francis (7), Borneo (5), Jungling (3)
- Assists: Dahl (5), Linberg (4), Matos (3)
- Points: Francis (16), Borneo (12), Dahl, Matos, Jungling (7)
- Shots: Steven Hernandez (29), Francis, Dahl (28), Torre (25)
- Minutes: Wilson (1,440), Mason Dancy (1,407), Campos (1,358)
Last time out for UNCG
The Spartans drew 0-0 with ETSU to conclude the regular season, the fifth shutout of the season for head coach Chris Rich and company.
Heading into Thursday, UNCG ranks 30th nationally in team goals-against average, a 1.000. The Blue & Gold have allowed multiple goals in a game just twice this season and feature a goal differential of +10, trailing only Furman (+12) in the SoCon and ranking 50th nationally.
Up next
Should UNCG advance, No. 2-seeded Wofford awaits in Spartanburg, South Carolina, on Sunday. Kickoff from Snyder Field in the SoCon semifinal game would be at 5 p.m. on ESPN+.
