BLACKSBURG – Virginia Tech finally found the back of the net on Monday, but on a rainy evening in Blacksburg, two goals weren't enough to topple Mercer. The Bears put together a second-half comeback to down the Hokies, 3-2.
A heavy downpour played a role throughout the match, beginning in the 10th minute. Ben Martino swept off his line to clear a dangerous ball, but the tough conditions resulted in the ball falling to a Mercer player near the midfield line. He unleashed an optimistic effort that found the back of the net.
Despite falling behind early, the Hokies responded with a plethora of attacks. One ultimately resulted in a penalty, which Danny Flores sent into the bottom right corner of the net to give Tech its first goal of the season.
Only seven minutes later, Misei Yoshizawa gave the Hokies their first lead of the young season with a curling effort right on the edge of the 18-yard box. The goal was Yoshizawa's first of his Virginia Tech career.
Tech went into the break leading the shot total 12-4 and continued the trend into the second, finishing the match with a season-high 21 shots on target. Of those 21 shots, six landed on target, compared to Mercer's three on target.
Despite holding the advantage in chances, Mercer capitalized off of two opportunities in the 63rd and 71stminute to take back the lead.
Through the last 10 minutes of the match, Tech dominated possession and continued to push forward, but was unable to find an equalizer.
NOTES
- The loss marks Virginia Tech's first non-conference home loss since Oct. 2, 2018.
- Monday's match was the first time Cameron Joice didn't feature in the Hokies' starting lineup since Aug. 26, 2021.