LEXINGTON, Va. -- Fernando Garcia scored two goals, and Mani Austmann finished with a goal and an assist to lead UNCG to a 4-0 victory over VMI in a Southern Conference men's soccer match Tuesday afternoon at Patchin Field.
 
Theo Collomb also scored for the Spartans (5-2-1 overall, 1-1-1 SoCon), and Sam Coad had two assists.
 
The victory comes three short days after a difficult home loss to Furman in overtime, when UNCG played very well but came away with no points in the SoCon standings.
 
All 21 Spartans who made the trip played significant minutes at VMI.
 
"This was huge," UNCG coach Chris Rich said. "Saturday night against Furman was a difficult game for us. It was a very good performance but a bitter result. It was a high-level game, and we only played 14 or 15 guys. So those guys were definitely fatigued, and we really couldn't do anything to prepare for this game besides just put them in bubble wrap and travel here to play. So it's huge we were able to play an additional six or seven guys. That's big not only for the morale of the group, but also for preparation for the next match."
 
UNCG has just three regular-season matches remaining. The Spartans host Belmont at 5 p.m. Saturday at UNCG Soccer Stadium.
 
"To start 0-1-1 with a loss and a tie was frustrating," Rich sais. "We felt like we could've gotten more points than just one out of those first two games. Any time you win any game and get three points in conference play, that's a good thing. It was very important for us to win this game. It's a good sign, a step in the right direction, and hopefully it allows us to build some momentum.
 
"There's not rest, really," Rich added. "We'll travel tonight, and tomorrow will be a recovery day for the team. We'll get back after it and train Thursday and Friday. ... At this point in the season, it's pretty much Saturday-Tuesday-Saturday-Tuesday. So it's quick recovery and short preparation before you're out there competing again."
 
Coming off the overtime game, UNCG started slowly against VMI before the Spartans hit their stride 10 minutes into the game.
 
Garcia, a junior forward, gathered a loose ball in front of the net and scored unassisted in the 21st minute. He scored again in the 30th minute off an assist from freshman forward Coad.
 
Coad had an assist on Austmann's goal in the 55th minute. And Austmann assisted on Collomb's breakaway goal in the 75th minute to close the scoring.
 
"We created lots of chances, a lot of opportunities," Rich said. "Fernando, Theo and Mani did very well to convert their chances and score goals. We had a lot of great performances. Jack Bole came on at halftime and played a very good second half, and that's so good to see from a player who hasn't gotten a lot of minutes. He came in and did very well."
 
Austmann, a sophomore from Iceland, and Collomb, a freshman from France, both have four goals and two assists this season.
 
Tuesday's road win comes in the middle of a stretch of three games in an eight-day span for UNCG.
 
"The Furman result was a tricky one for us because we felt so good about the performance, but we didn't get the three points," Rich said. "Today we performed well again, and this time we got the three points. That's very positive, and the mood is great, especially when all 21 guys get to play. The best part about that, to me, was the guys who play heavy minutes were so happy to see guys who had played limited minutes see action. I could hear them rooting and cheering from the sidelines. That's good for team culture."
 
UNCG's first conference victory of this season was also its fifth consecutive shutout win over VMI dating back to 2017. The Spartans are 19-0 all-time against the Keydets (2-6 overall, 0-3 SoCon).