BLACKSBURG – The No. 21 Virginia Tech men's soccer team fell to No. 1 Clemson at home in double overtime, 1-0.
An undermanned Hokies (4-4-2, 0-2-0 ACC) side went wire-to-wire with the top-ranked Tigers (10-2-1, 2-0-0 ACC), not looking misplaced talent-wise for the 107 minutes of play.
The game was ultimately decided with three minutes to play when Clemson's Ousmane Sylla slotted home the rebound of a shot that was tipped off the crossbar by sophomore goalkeeper Matt Zambetti, who stepped in for veteran senior Mathijs Swaneveld.
Saturday night's fixture was an even match throughout regulation and overtime, with the Tigers having their fair share of shots, but the actual opportunities to score were split evenly by both sides.
The Hokies' lineup featured five changes from last week's lineup as Tech is in the process of navigating a plethora of injuries in the spring, and even more disparity from the team that finished No. 4 in the country during the fall.
Clemson forced the Virginia Tech's back line into action early with a couple shots that forced Zambetti to make two of his four saves in the first 10 minutes of the game.
The Hokies settled down shortly thereafter, much thanks to sophomore Mayola Kinyua and freshman Birkir Eythorsson's effort in the midfield. With some quick reactions, the midfield duo was able to trigger several counter attacks that Tech couldn't capitalize on. No opportunity was more viable than the 57th minute move that saw Kinyua play senior Jacob Labovitz on the break, but his ball across the box was unable to find a Virginia Tech finisher.
Tech still awaits the return of senior Kristo Strickler, the No. 30 overall draft pick from the 2021 MLS Draft, who scored three goals in the fall.
Virginia Tech returns to the pitch on Friday at 2 p.m. in Charlottesville to play No. 24 Virginia (5-4-1, 1-0-0 ACC).Gallery: (3-13-2021) 2021 MEN'S SOCCER VS. CLEMSON
