NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Virginia Tech men's soccer closed out its ACC campaign on Friday night with a convincing 2-0 result on the road against Notre Dame.
The Hokies (6-6-2, 2-4 ACC) were knocking on the door throughout the first half before Kahlil Dover found a breakthrough in the 42nd-minute to give Tech the lead. Defender Kyle McDowell was running rampant up and down the touchline all evening and his efforts paid off with a cross into to Dover, who hammered home the shot with his first touch past the Notre Dame (8-9, 1-5) keeper.
Tech came out of the gate firing in the second half, as well. Kristo Strickler found himself in on goal in the 52nd-minute, but the home team's keeper denied the shot. However, the rebound fell to Jacob Labovitz outside the box and he hammered the ball home as the goalkeeper scurried back to his net, giving the Hokies a 2-0 lead.
Matt Zambetti was a solid presence in net for the Virginia Tech. Despite only recording two saves, the sophomore was able reset the Hokies going forward. The center-back combination of Sivert Haugli and Nathan Durst put together a consistent evening as well, stifling the Fighting Irish's attacks.
This marks two consecutive shutout victories for Tech after they defeated then-No. 15 North Carolina (6-4-3, 3-1-1) last week on the road. Likely not a coincident, the lineup featured only one change from last week's squad, which is the most consistency the Tech starting 11 has seen all spring.
