Lexington, Va. – Winthrop scored three second half goals to earn a 3-0 road win at VMI, Saturday afternoon in men’s soccer non-conference action.
Winthrop (3-1-0, 0-0-0 Big South) 3, VMI (3-4-0, 0-0-0 SoCON) 0
Sept. 5, 2026 | Patchin Field
Scoring Summary
47′ – WINTHROP – Baden (Lindstrup)
54′ – WINTHROP – Jelaca (Deer)
67′ – WINTHROP – Perez (Baden)
Game Recap
- Eagles had a good chance in the 14th minute when Pablo Ortega chased down a ball in the box at an angle and ripped a shot toward goal but it was deflected wide by a VMI defender
- The best chance of the first half for VMI came in the 30th minute when Mejia Yeirin chased down a long ball near the edge of the box and dribbled to the left of Euan Brindley and under defensive pressure his shot toward the open frame was wide right from an angle
- In the 38th minute the Eagles nearly broke through as Teo Jelaca played a short back pass to Jorge Perez just inside the edge of the 18 and his first touch shot smacked the crossbar and came out in front of goal
- Juma Baden was there for the rebound but his shot on frame was saved by a quick reaction from the VMI goalkeeper
- Minutes later Lucas Lindstrup collected a free ball at the top of the box and then fired a shot toward the right corner but it was tipped wide by Santiago Rocha
- Eagles finally broke through in the 47th minute as Lucas Lindstrup chased down a cross that was too deep, dribbled to the end line and eventually found Juma Baden in front at the near post as he redirected the pass into the goal
- Winthrop doubled its lead in the 54th minute as Owen Deer knocked a long ball into space as Jelaca ran on and he placed a shot over the head of the keeper and into the goal
- A third goal came for the Eagles in the 67th minute as Baden won a ball at midfield and took off dribbling down the middle of the field
- Baden drew a defender and played a pass to his left as Perez was running on and he took a couple of touches before striking a shot into the top left corner from inside the box
Notables
- Jelaca had a goal and has now picked up a point in 3-of-4 games
- Baden’s goal gives him three on the season as he also picked up an assist in the match (2nd game this season with 1 goal, 1 assist)
- Eagles recorded the second shutout of the season as Brindley finished with one save
- It is the first time the Eagles have shutouts in two of the first four games to start a season since 2016
- Winthrop had a 23-6 advantage in shots and 12-1 in shots on goal
- It’s the first 3-1 start to a season since 2016 for Winthrop
- This is the second straight shutout against the Keydets and the fourth in the last five meetings
Looking Ahead
Eagles will be back in action on Tuesday, Sept. 8 when it heads to Mt. Pleasant, S.C. for the third game of a six-game road trip and faces the College of Charleston at 6 p.m.
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Story courtesy of Winthrop Athletics.
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Thomas Hyslip lives in Tega Cay with his wife and daughter. After 27 years in the U.S. Army and Federal Law Enforcement, he retired to pursue his passion for teaching. Tom is now an Assistant Professor of Instruction at the University of South Florida. In 2 short years he has won 10 awards from the South Carolina Press Association, including first place in column writing, education beat reporting and best podcast.
