DURHAM, N.C. – The No. 6 Virginia Tech men's soccer team suffered its first defeat of the season in a 1-0 loss at No. 19 Duke on Saturday.
The Atlantic Coast Conference lived up to its reputation of elite competition, as the Hokies (2-1-2, 0-1 ACC) and Blue Devils (4-1, 1-0 ACC) exchanged chances throughout the match.
Ultimately, the host found the net first from a penalty kick in the 35th minute. That goal proved to be the decider in Tech's ACC opener.
Neither team appeared to have the upper hand in the first 45 minutes of play, as both sides put three shots on target in the half.
Moving into the second half, Virginia Tech flexed more of its attacking prowess and created several opportunities. On the left side of the pitch, Kyle McDowell and Landon Ameres offered a push forward, providing service into the box.
On the defensive end, Duke created opportunities off the counterattack and Ben Martino came up big to keep the deficit to one goal.
Saturday's match was the first fixture that Tech was unable to get on the scoresheet, having scored at least twice in each of the first four matches this season. On the other hand, Duke held strong for its fourth clean sheet in five games.
Up next, the Hokies will take on Virginia at Thompson Field on Friday, Sept. 17.
