This Week in VMI Athletics - Sept. 8

The first Labor Day here in the U.S. was celebrated Sept. 5, 1882, but it did not become a federal holiday until 1894, when the Pullman Strike led federal legislation to be rushed through, creating the new holiday. The day now symbolizes the end of summer for many Americans, and here on VMI Post, creates a bit of a slow-down after a busy, full first weekend of competition.

As I'm sure you know, football prevailed 14-13 Saturday over Robert Morris. The Colonials' defense was impressive, but the Keydets' fourth-quarter drive, ending in a Tim Maypray TD run, was enough to give the home team the win. Then today, the news came that Eric Church, who made his first career start Saturday, had been named Big South Defensive POTW. View that story here: http://www.vmikeydets.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=9800&ATCLID=204789318

Football is now off this week, in a rare Week 2 bye, before returning to action Sept. 19 versus James Madison in Harrisonburg. A daunting task, to be sure.

Also in action this weekend were the cross country and soccer teams. Cross country performed well at the VMI Relays, held at the Virginia Horse Center. In case you missed it, real-time coverage from the meet was available on our Twitter account, and some of you did comment on that. We certainly appreciate you following along. The highly touted freshmen class, both guys and girls, was VERY impressive.

Cross is back in action officially in two weeks, also Sept. 19, at the Big South Preview meet in High Point, N.C.

Women's soccer took on UNC Wilmington at Patchin Field Saturday morning. UNCW pulled out a 1-0 victory, thanks to an early header off a corner kick...We had to go back a few years with our statistical methods, as the stats had to be kept by hand due to a last-minute computer failure. That was a unique experience, to say the least, but one which was a little surprising in its ease.

Men's soccer is now 0-2, after a 2-0 defeat at the hands of ETSU Friday night. However, the program will host the inaugural Jay Sculley Memorial Tournament this coming weekend on Post. Rider, St. Francis (N.Y.) and Liberty will all come to town for a four-team, round robin soccer tournament to be played Friday and Sunday at Patchin Field.

The teams will have a dinner Saturday night which will feature a former player as a speaker, as well as the presence of relatives of Jay Sculley, VMI's first-ever men's soccer coach, whose contributions to the Institute are being recognized through this tournament. We'll certainly have more information on that, the standard previews and such, on the web site going forward, but if you want more information on the non-soccer part of the tournament, call Doug Bartlett of the VMI Keydet Club at 540-464-7328.