The VMI Keydets men’s lacrosse team clinched a postseason tournament berth for the first time in four years with a 14-5 victory over Detroit Mercy on April 25 at Titan Field in Detroit, Michigan.
This win secured VMI the No. 4 seed in the upcoming Northeast Conference Tournament, where they will face top-seeded and host Robert Morris next Thursday at 5 p.m. in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The result marks VMI’s third consecutive win to close out the regular season.
The Keydets established an early lead by scoring four unanswered goals in the first period and maintaining defensive pressure until midway through the second quarter. Will Gormsen opened scoring for VMI, followed by two goals from freshman Ethan Ostrowski and another from Jack Duncan-Bloom. By halftime, VMI led 8-1 after additional goals from Gormsen, Beau Durkin (two), and Warner Lewis.
After Detroit scored early in the second half, VMI responded with three straight goals—one each from Bagwell, Ostrowski, and Durkin. Ostrowski finished with a career-high five goals while Durkin recorded a hat trick.
Key statistics include limiting UDM’s leading scorer Marcus Thundercloud to one assist on four shots and strong goalkeeping by Adam Norris who made 14 saves while allowing only three goals over nearly 55 minutes of play. Faceoffs were evenly matched at 12 wins for VMI out of 23 attempts. Turnovers favored Detroit (11) compared to VMI’s (17), but the Keydets excelled defensively by holding Detroit to just one successful extra-man opportunity out of six attempts.
VMI will advance to play Robert Morris next week as they seek continued success in postseason competition.
