The No. 22 Virginia Tech men's soccer team ended their regular season on a high note as they defeated Duke 2-1 Friday night at Koskinen Stadium.
In what should be no surprise to anyone that has followed the Hokies (8-5-2, 2-4-2) throughout the season, Tech was once again poured on the pressure to start the match as they dominated pace of play and possession. It took only six minutes for the Hokies to get their first chance of the evening. Finding space for himself, Jacob Labovitz sent a cross into the six-yard box that found Strickler's head and looked as if it was on its way in to the net, but the ball just in front of the far post. Tech would have several more looks, but was eventually rewarded with their first goal of the evening when Daniel Pereira's shot deflected off a Duke defender and into the far corner to give Tech a 1-0 lead.
Without pace and possession in their favor, Duke (7-8-2, 2-5-2) made sure to take advantage of every opportunity available to them, but they had a tough time getting shots by the frame of Mathijs Swaneveld as he had four saves in the first half. It looked as if the Hokies would take their lead into the break until Duke's Daniele Proch's low shot to the left corner slipped past Swaneveld to tie the game at 1-1.
The Hokies continued to be aggressive against Duke to start the second half as Kristo Strickler, Jon Ingason and Pereira all found early opportunities. It would take until the 62nd minute for Tech to retake the lead as the ball from Pereira's shot off a set piece ricocheted off Duke's keeper and found itself at the feet of Strickler for an easy tap in.
Once Tech regained the lead their style of play changed to a more passive approach where they focused on possession and taking high percentage chances when they appeared.
With the help of stout defense by their back line and a big save by Swaneveld in the 74th minute, Tech was able to hold onto their lead.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Shots: Virginia Tech 11-11
- Corners: Virginia Tech 7-3
- Saves: Virginia Tech 5-3
GAME NOTES
- With the win the Hokies snapped their only losing streak of the season.
- The win marked only the fourth time in program history that Tech has defeated the Blue Devils, moving the all-time record to 4-13-4
- The Hokies are now 4-2 on the season when Strickler records a goal
- Strickler's game-winning goal was his third of the season
UP NEXT
The No. 11 seed Hokies will travel to Louisville November 6 to face the No. 6 Cardinals in the first round of the ACC Championships at 4 p.m.