WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The No. 5 Virginia Tech men's soccer team fell on the road to Wake Forest at Spry Stadium on Saturday night, 3-1.
The Hokies (8-2-3, 3-2-1 ACC) slipped in the first half, conceding a 35th minute goal from the Demon Deacon's (8-4-1, 3-2-1 ACC) Jahlane Forbes. Virginia Tech answered early in the second half when Danny Flores put Conor Pugh in on goal and Pugh slotted home his third goal in two games.
Tech couldn't hold off the persistent Wake attack, however, and the host's leading scorer Kyle Holcombe put them back ahead in the 56th minute. The Demon Deacons received their insurance policy in the 77th minute when Roald Mitchell's right-footed attempt beat Ben Martino, who came up big several times throughout the match with four saves.
From kickoff, the physical tone was set in the game, leading to a quick whistle from the referee that lasted the whole night. That pattern was reflected in the box score, as the Hokies were called for 19 fouls, the most all season.
Carrying the momentum of a three-game win streak, inlcuding a win at North Carolina, Wake Forest disrupted the Hokies recent goal-scoring momentun. Tech had only four shots on target throughout the 90 minutes.
Up next, the Hokies host Winthrop on Wednesday, Oct. 20 at 6 p.m. That will be Virginia Tech's last non-conference game of the regular season before hosting North Carolina then traveling to Pitt the following week.
