Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG, Va. – A goal from freshman Ricardo John in the 49th minute was enough to put the Hokies on top as the Virginia Tech men’s soccer team defeated the George Washington Colonials 1-0 at Thompson Field on Tuesday evening.
“I’m pleased with tonight’s result. We did not play particularly well, but the team found a way to win and you have to be happy about that,” said head coach Mike Brizendine. “I give George Washington a ton of credit. They were a well-organized squad and there were times that they really had us on our heels, but we worked hard and we won at home. That’s what we want to do. This is our third-straight shutout victory, so I’m more than pleased with our back line and our goalkeeping at this point.”
Virginia Tech (5-3, 1-1 ACC) was outshot by George Washington (3-3, 0-0 A10) 17-15, but the Hokies held a resounding 10-4 advantage in shots on goal and a commanding 11-3 lead in corner kicks.
George Washington came out with a ton of offensive pressure, rattling off three shots in the first ten minutes of the match. Once the match settled down, Tech found their rhythm and started producing chances of their own.
Freshman Dylan Huber got an opportunity to put the Hokies up at the 15-minute mark, but Colonial keeper Jean-Pierre van der Merwe saved his attempt. Tech would produce a few more chances before the Hokies got their most open look on goal in the first half.
In the 41st minute, Tech used great combination play to draw the keeper out of the net. The ball found the foot of freshman Forrest White but his attempt was blocked by a GW player just before it could find the back of the net.
In the first half, the Hokies trailed 8-4 in shots, only allowing two shots on goal that were easily saved by freshman goalkeeper Ben Lundgaard.
The second half saw both teams ramp up the offensive pressure with the Hokies and the Colonials combining for 20 total shots. It was Tech, however, who would find the net in the 49th minute. Sophomore Som Essome added yet another assist to his tally when he dribbled down the left side line and slipped a ball to Ricardo John who placed it past the keeper to give Tech the 1-0 lead. This was John’s third goal of the season.
The Colonials would continue to send numbers forward hoping to find an equalizer but Lundgaard, playing fantastically in goal, made two more saves in the second half to keep the shutout.
Tech would continue searching for another goal, including several combination plays between Essome and John, but nothing else would find the net for the Hokies.
In all, the Hokies have now won three-straight matches, all of those being shutouts. Lundgaard preserved the shutout victory with four total saves in the match. Also, Essome has assisted all three goals scored by John this season.
“Now we need to rest our legs and get ready for a very tough NC State game. It’s going to be a battle between two good teams on Friday night, no doubt,” concluded Brizendine.
The Hokies are back in action this Friday when the squad heads to North Carolina to take on ACC foe NC State.