Hokie ClubCHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – On the road in front of a crowd of 5,430 people, the Virginia Tech men’s soccer team fell to No. 15 Virginia 1-0 on Friday evening at Klockner Stadium.
“I thought we were fortunate to go into halftime level as they had a number of good opportunities. We made some adjustments in the second half and I though that they helped but we were unable to get ahead and they took advantage of an opportunity,” said head coach Mike Brizendine.
In a highly competitive match that saw Tech nearly score on multiple opportunities, the Cavaliers (3-1, 1-0 ACC) outshot the Hokies (2-3, 0-1 ACC) 18-4.
Virginia was the first team to nearly get on the board when the Cavaliers’ Sam Hayward hit the post in the 18th minute. Off of the rebound, Virginia’s Ryan Zinkhan hit a shot from point blank range that Hokie senior goalkeeper Ben Lockler kick-saved away.
Junior Daniel Lauretano got an opportunity to score in the 22nd minute when he received a through-ball from sophomore Niels Kirch. Lauretano hit a shot that was saved by UVA’s keeper Calle Brown.
In the 39th minute, the Cavaliers’ Ryan Zinkhan got another opportunity to score, but this time with his head. Lockler was there again to make the save.
At the half, the Hokies and the Hoos were tied 0-0. Lockler was forced to make two saves. UVA led 9-1 in shots at the half, but most were off target and not dangerous.
The second half saw the Hokies make adjustments and bring more energy to the field. Merlin Baus hit a low driven shot in the 49th minute that was saved by Calle Brown. 10 minutes later sophomore Som Essome got an opportunity but that chance was turned away by Brown as well.
In the 73rd minute, Virginia scored the goal that ultimately would decide the game. The Cavalier’s Scott Thomsen hit a strike from the top of the box that would sneak just past Lockler and find the left side of the net.
The Hokies would get a few more opportunities including one in th 90th minute from Som Essome, but it would not fall for Tech. There were six total saves in the match with Lockler making five and one team save.
“The good news is we have another game ahead of us. We have a few days to fix some things and get right back on the field against a good UNC Greensboro squad,” concluded Brizendine.
The Virginia Tech men’s soccer team is back in action on Tuesday, Sept. 16 when the squad travels to Greensboro, N.C. to take on UNC Greensboro at 7 p.m.
This game was sponsored by Virginia529, the official college savings plan of Virginia Tech Athletics. With a victory today from Virginia men’s soccer, they have added a point for their school to the Virginia529 Commonwealth Clash. The score for the Clash is now, University of Virginia 1 and Virginia Tech 0. Learn more about Virginia529 and this new competition atthecommmonewalthclash.com.