Hokie ClubTampa, Fla. -- Virginia Tech traveled down to Tampa, Fla., Friday in front of a record crowd of 2,669 to face a strong team in South Florida. The Hokies’ defense and freshman keeper Kyle Renfro took away numerous Bulls scoring opportunities in the first 45 minutes, leading to a 0-0 tie at half, but a Tech red card early in the second forced them to play a man down, and the Bulls capitalized on the mismatch, earning the 2-0 victory.
In his collegiate debut, Renfro withstood a flurry of 22 shots, earning five saves and playing the full 90 minutes. Scoreless in the 59th minute, Tech’s Vaughn Bandy was carded in the 18-yard box, giving USF’s Shawn Chin a penalty kick, which he used to push the score 1-0. Playing a man down, the Hokies kept pressure on the Bulls’ defense, taking five corners kicks and seven shots in the second half. Shane Wixted netted USF’s second goal on a rebound off the crossbar from a Bernardo Anor shot in the 82nd minute.
Freshmen David Clemens and Adama Wakai led Tech in shots, earning two each with one on goal. Shots were distributed evenly, with eight other Hokies attempting one shot each, five of them on goal.
Next, Head Coach Mike Brizendine will take his squad to Washington, D.C., Tuesday to face Howard University. Teams are set to take the pitch at 2 p.m. ET.