HARRISONBURG – The Virginia Tech men's soccer team survived double overtime as freshman Chris Little scored his first goal of the season and junior Marc Hoppler put in the game-winner Sunday afternoon, defeating Garnder-Webb 2-1.
Tech (2-0) was on the front foot early in the match as they were able to apply steady pressure. However, a well-played counter-attack saw Gardner-Webb's (0-2) Mads Rismoen place the ball into the bottom left corner, which saw the Hokies go down 1-0 in the 33rd minute.
The Hokies had several opportunities in the first half as they outshot the Bulldogs 5-3 and held a 5-0 advantage in corner kicks, but were unable to find the back of the net.
After the break, Nico Quashie received a perfectly placed through ball in the 47th that saw him one-on-one with the Bulldogs goalie, but an excellent play by the keeper kept Tech off of the board.
Tech kept up the aggressiveness in the second half but was unable to capitalize on several opportunities, until junior James Kasak placed a corner perfectly on Little's head and he was able to redirect it into the right corner.
The Hokies did not find any scoring opportunities in the first overtime, but another corner from Kasak found its way into the box where Hoppler was able to place it on target with two minutes remaining in overtime.
Notes
- This is only the third time in nine years that the Hokies have started the season 2-0.
- The Hokies outshot the Falcons 18-5, with Sivert Haugli and Little leading the team with three each.
- Tech held the advantage in corner kicks at 13-2
- Six Hokies played all 110 minutes in the win, Mathjis Swaneveld, Haugli, Jon Ingason, Rory Slevin and Kasak.
UP Next
The Hokies face the South Florida Bulls at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 31