Hokie ClubBlacksburg, Va. -- The Hokies rallied from a 2-1 halftime defecit to overcome the Alabama A&M Bulldogs, 4-2, at Thompson Field Monday night. This comes as a crucial win heading into a conference-heavy portion of the schedule, which Tech will now go into at 4-7-1.
The Hokies got on the board first, with Clarke Bentley finding the net in the 21st minute for his third goal of the season. Alabama A&M gained the edge with two quck goals towards the end of the first half. Abraham Kassaye drove in a straight-ahead goal in the 43rd minute, with Kyle Majors netting their second goal off a Moses Adeniran corner kick in the 44th minute. Despite the 2-1 score at the half, Tech outshot A&M 16-5, clearly winning the possession game.
The second half was all Virginia Tech, as they scored three goals to secure the 4-2 victory. The Hokies outshot their opponent 21-4, the most shots in any half by Tech so far this season, for a total of 37 shots for the match, also a season-high. With the majority of Tech’s squad bunched near the box, senior defender Koen Oost capitalized on a shot opportunity, scoring in the 58th minute off a Robert Alberti assist. It was his first goal of the season and only his fourth shot of the season, his second of the match. Mikey Minutillo broke the tie in the 63rd minute and also added an insurance goal in the 66th minute, his third and fourth goals of the season. Minutillo now leads the team in game-winning goals with two on the season.
Thomas St. Germain earned a win at keeper in his first start of the season, grabbing four saves for the match facing nine shots. It was a physical game, with a total of 26 fouls and eight yellow cards.
Next up, Tech will hit the road, facing in-state rival and defending national champion Virginia on Friday, Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. The Hokies will then return home to face Central Florida on Tuesday, Oct. 19 at 4 p.m.