BLACKSBURG – Powering five goals within the opening half hour of play on Thursday night, the Virginia Tech women's soccer team breezed by Elon, 7-1, at Thompson Field to post its third consecutive season-opening victory.
Senior attackers Emily Gray and Nicole Kozlova alternated the scoring on Tech's first four goals of the evening as the Hokies found the net during the sixth, seventh, 15th and 17th minutes of play. Kozlova also picked up the assist on Gray's match-opening volley, achieving the second five-point performance by a Tech player within the last five seasons (Tori Powell).
Ava Veith (sophomore) and Aino Vuorinen (freshman) connected during the 28th minute to yield their first career goal and assist, respectively, upping the Hokies' lead to 5-0 – shortly before both teams were chased off the pitch for a 55-minute lightning delay. After play had resumed, Holly Rose Weber turned a midfield pass from Emma Steigerwald into the 30-yard strike that pushed the host's lead to 6-0 before halftime.
Sophie Maltese notched her first collegiate goal during the waning moments of the second half, delivering Tech a 7-0 lead during the 85th minute. Elon managed to spoil the Hokies' bid for their third consecutive clean sheet inside the final two minutes of regulation as Sarah Bevington shouldered Abby Fusca's bullet past S.A. Phillips from four yards away.
With its historic attacking display, Virginia Tech (3-0-0) tallied seven or more goals during a match for the fifth time during its program history and the second time across as many seasons. Last October, the Hokies did one goal better while cruising to their 8-2 victory against Miami.
Allie Lewis and Gabby Johnson both notched their first career assists in a Tech uniform, paving the way for Kozlova's two goals of the night. Lewis forwarded a deep ball to Emma Pelkowski that prompted the Hokies' 2-0 lead while Johnson – who transferred this offseason from Delaware – slid Victoria Haugen's centering pass ahead in the box to help create the 4-0 score line.
Tech commanded the 20-4 advantage in shot attempts against Elon (1-2-0) and held the 10-2 edge in shots on target.
UP NEXT
The Hokies will visit Cincinnati on Sunday, Aug. 29, for a 1 p.m. kickoff against the Bearcats on ESPN+.
Gallery: (8-26-2021) 2021 WOMEN'S SOCCER vs. ELON