ST. PAUL, Minn. - St. Thomas (MN) defeated VMI 3-1 in NCAA men's soccer action on Tuesday afternoon, powered by two goals from Mathis Guffroy and a late strike from Ronan Selbo. The victory improved the Tommies' record to 5-2-3 while VMI dropped to 2-6-3 on the season.
Colin Blandford opened the scoring for VMI in the 22nd minute, giving the visitors a surprising early lead. St. Thomas equalized through Guffroy's penalty kick in the 52nd minute after a foul by VMI's Conner Reid. Guffroy added his second from another penalty in the 63rd minute, before Selbo sealed the win with a well-placed shot in the 84th minute, assisted by both Oliver Corris and Chance Therrien.
The first half saw VMI take an unexpected lead despite St. Thomas controlling much of the possession. The Tommies generated several early chances, with Yanis Lakhlifi forcing a save in the 10th minute and Tommy Kniser sending a shot high in the 12th minute. VMI's organized defense, led by Jesse Lee and Gabriel N'Dakpri, frustrated the home side's attack until Blandford's breakthrough goal against the run of play.
St. Thomas came out with renewed intensity after halftime, earning two crucial penalties that Guffroy converted. The momentum shift was evident as the Tommies pressed higher, with substitutes Chance Therrien and Gunnar Busch making immediate impacts after entering in the 60th minute. VMI goalkeeper Zack Murphy made several impressive saves, including stopping Gunnar Busch's low drive in the 74th minute, but couldn't prevent Selbo's late insurance goal.
The final statistics reflected St. Thomas's dominance, as they outshot VMI 18-1, putting seven attempts on target compared to VMI's single shot. The Tommies also held a 5-0 advantage in corner kicks. Both teams received one yellow card each, with St. Thomas being cautioned in the 22nd minute and VMI's Conner Reid seeing yellow in the 52nd minute.
Mathis Guffroy was the standout performer with his brace from the penalty spot, while Ronan Selbo's goal and overall creative play caused constant problems for the VMI defense. VMI's Zack Murphy finished with four saves in a valiant effort, while the defensive partnership of Jesse Lee and Gabriel N'Dakpri worked tirelessly to keep their team in the match.
St. Thomas's tactical adjustment to utilize width through Oliver Corris and Yanis Lakhlifi proved effective in the second half, creating overloads that led to both penalties. VMI's compact defensive structure initially frustrated the Tommies, but the visitors struggled to maintain possession and create attacking opportunities after their early goal.
The victory extends St. Thomas's positive form, following their 6-1 win over St. Cloud State before a setback against Omaha. For VMI, the loss continues their challenging season, coming after a narrow victory over Radford and a defeat to Howard in their previous matches.
Looking ahead, St. Thomas will host Oral Roberts on October 4 at 1:00 PM, seeking to build on this momentum. VMI faces a quick turnaround as they travel to face Wofford on October 4 at 6:00 PM, looking to bounce back from this defeat and improve their road form.