(Photo Courtesy of VMI Athletics)

While it has taken a bit longer for teams and conference to get their schedules together for the 2021 season due to the Coronavirus outbreak and various restrictions surrounding the virus, Schedule release schedule has finally begun!

The VMI Keydets are the sixth DI team to release their 2021 schedule and third from the SoCon. The Keydets come into the 2021 season after going 0-4 during the shortened 2020 season and are led by first-year head coach James Purpura.

VMI’s Full 2021 Schedule:

Date	Home	Away	Notes
2/13	VMI	Mount St. Mary’s
2/20	Colgate	VMI
2/27	Bellarmine	VMI	Non-Conference
3/6	Lafayette	VMI
3/13	VMI	Richmond	SoCon
3/19	VMI	High Point	SoCon
3/27	Jacksonville	VMI	SoCon
4/3	Cleveland State	VMI
4/10	VMI	Bellarmine	SoCon
4/17	Air Force	VMI	SoCon
4/24	Mercer	VMI	SoCon
5/1	VMI	Cleveland State

Notes

• VMI will face Bellarmine twice, once as a non-conference and once as a conference game.
• Home-and-home against Cleveland State.

Games to Circle

2/13 vs Mount St. Mary’s: The Keydets and Mountaineers have faced each other every year since 2015 and Mount St. Mary’s has won every contest. Last season, the Keydets held a strong 9-5 lead late in the third before the Mountaineers ratted off five consecutive goals in the fourth, including a natural hat trick from Kelly Gouin, to end the game and take the 10-9 win.

2/27 & 4/10 @/vs Bellarmine: VMI hasn’t won a conference game since 2014, when they were a member of the Atlantic Sun. But they have come very close to securing a SoCon win against Bellarmine in recent history. In 2019, the Keydets found themselves trailing 10-2 at half before exploding for 10 goals in the second half and make it a one-goal game with 5:01 in the fourth, but Bellarmine hung on for the 13-12 win.

4/3 & 5/1 @/vs Cleveland State: The Keydets will play the Cleveland State Vikings twice, which will be their first two meetings ever and two opportunities for wins for VMI. Cleveland State went 2-2 last season and will be entering their second season under Andy german and fifth season as a program in 2021.