Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG, Va. – Despite outshooting the opposition 17-5, the Virginia Tech men’s soccer team fell to the Fordham Rams 2-1 at University Park in the team’s final match of the JMU Tournament.
“Obviously I’m disappointed with this loss. It is our second regular season game that we have recorded 17 shots and we only have two goals to show for it,” explained head coach Mike Brizendine.
The Hokies nearly got on the board early in the first minute when freshman Brandon Eaton ripped a shot from the top of the box but Fordham’s goalkeeper Alex Naples was able thwart the attempt.
Fordham went ahead in the 17th minute when the Rams’ Blake Bohlen hit a low hard shot. Tech goalkeeper Kyle Renfro was able to stop the first attempt, but Fordham’s Jon Agostino got to the rebound first and put it away to give the Rams a 1-0 lead.
Senior David Clemens broke free in the box in the 35th minute and after some contact Clemens went down but the referee did not call for the penalty kick.
In the 40th minute, senior Austin Stewart drove a beautiful ball to the head of Leon Ungewickel who just missed wide.
Fordham was able to score another goal just before the break when Kyle Bitterman sent a ball to Taylor Gulbins giving the Rams the 2-0 lead entering halftime.
The Hokies rattled off three shots and produced several corners in the opening minutes of the second half but Tech failed to capitalize on the opportunities.
After sending numbers forward and earning a number of chances, the Hokies’ offensive pressure finally paid off in the 74th minute when senior Robert Alberti drove a nice ball to the head of sophomore Daniel Lauretano to bring Tech within one.
The Hokies continued to press for the remainder of the game, but were unable to bring the score level and ended falling to the Fordham Rams 2-1.
For their efforts this weekend, David Clemens and junior André Thomas were named to the All-Tournament team.
“We have a couple of days to train and go over our weaknesses before we take on a very good Syracuse team in our ACC opener. This is definitely going to be a learning experience for us, but hopefully we can move on and get a win next weekend,” concluded Brizendine.
Tech is now 1-1 on the young season and will continue play on Friday, Sept. 6 at 7:30 p.m. when the team returns to Thompson Field to take on Syracuse in their ACC opener.