RALEIGH, N.C. – Two second half goals by Landon Ameres and Jacob Labovitz within 20 seconds of each other propelled the Virginia Tech men's soccer team to a 2-1 win against UCF in Raleigh, N.C. on Friday afternoon.
In the first half, the Hokies (2-0-1, 0-0 ACC) and Knights (1-2, 0-0 AAC) provided end-to-end action, as Tech had eight shots and UCF contributed seven. The breakthrough in the match came in the 37th minute following a strike by UCF's Lucca Dourado.
Coming out of the break, the Hokies continued to put on the pressure, and eventually capitalized off its opportunities in the 60th minute.
Danny Flores had a defender one-on-one going towards the edge of the box and delivered a ball that found the feet of Pol Monells. Monells' shot fell to the feet of Ameres, who after some shuffling around was able to send the ball past the keeper.
The goal marked Ameres' second goal in three games this season.
The Hokies wasted no time doubling their tally, as 18 seconds later Labovitz found himself in on goal and slotted home the chance.
That score marked Labovitz's first goal of the season after the forward misses the first two matches.
Tech was tasked with seeing out the final 30 minutes against the Knight's feisty attack. The job got easier when UCF's goal scorer was sent off in the 83rd minute.
Ben Martino manned the Hokies' net for the second time in as many games. The freshman recorded three saves, all in the first half.
Up next for Virginia Tech is No. 20 Seton Hall (1-0-1, 0-0 Big East) on Monday in Raleigh. The last time the Hokies faced the Pirates was in May during the Sweet Sixteen of the 2020 NCAA Men's Soccer Championships, falling 7-6 in a penalty shootout.