In a break from conference play, the No. 22 Virginia Tech men's soccer team suffered a 3-2 loss to Princeton Tuesday night.
Like most of their matches so far on the season, the Hokies (7-5-2, 1-4-2) were aggressive from the opening moments of play against the Tigers (10-3-1,2-1-1). With their aggressiveness, Tech was rewarded with a corner kick in the fourth minute but saw nothing come of it. Princeton would get a corner of their own two minutes later, one which sailed perfectly to the head of Richard Wolf for an early 1-0 lead.
Tech would remain aggressive as they looked to draw even with Princeton, but their two best chances, a shot by James Kasak (hit the post in the 13th minute) and a header by Sivert Haugli (header from 10 yards out saved in the 30th minute), were unable to find the back of the net. It wouldn't be until the 40th minute that Tech would get on the board due to Jon Ingason's goal off a set piece.
It was another quick start out the half for the Hokies as they had three shots and three corner kicks by the 52nd minute. It wasn't until a minute later in the 53rd that the offensive barrage resulted in a score. Kasak latched on to a ball that he took down the left side of the pitch before crossing it into the box to for Jacob Labovitz to tap in.
Tech tried and tried again to extend their lead, but it was to no avail. Princeton's Walker Gillespie would tie the game in the 68th minute with a shot from outside the box, while the game-winning goal came off of a penalty kick in the 80th minute.
The Hokies had a chance in the 88th minute. A foul on Daniel Pereira set up an Ingason free kick from 18 yards out. The ball was on the mark and would have curled into the top left corner of the far post, but Princeton's Jack Roberts' diving punch sealed Tech's defeat.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Shots: Virginia Tech 24-12
- Corners: Virginia Tech 9-4
- Saves: Princeton 9-2
GAME NOTES
- Labovitz and Ingason recorded goals in the same game for the fourth time this season
- Labovitz and Ingason now both sit with five goals on the season
- All five of Ingason's goals have come off set pieces
- The Hokies moved to 2-3 on the season when the opponent scores first
- With the loss, Tech has lost two matches in a row for the first time in 2019
UP NEXT
The Hokies play their final match of the regular season against Duke on Friday, November 1st in Durham, North Carolina.