PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A first-half goal for Mayola Kinyua pushed Virginia Tech into the lead for much of the night, but a flurry of late goals allowed No. 20 Pitt to walk away from Friday's ACC fixture with three points.
The Hokies looked threatening all evening, putting a season high nine shots on target.. After exchanging a couple early opportunities with Pitt, Tech found its breakthrough in the 23rd minute with a ball from Declan Quill that found Mayola Kinyua sprinting behind the host's back line. The fifth-year senior was able to collect the ball and slot it past the Panthers keeper for his first career goal in the 79th game of his career.
Tech went into the break with a lead, holding an 8-5 shot advantage.
After halftime, Virginia Tech was forced to settle in defensively, as Pitt held most of the possession. Despite not seeing much of the ball, the Hokies nearly doubled their lead in the 59th minute when Conor Pugh found himself in on goal, but the Panthers keeper came up with a stop.
Pitt continued to press and ultimately found its breakthrough on a corner kick in the 78th minute. With momentum swinging, the Panthers doubled their lead just three minutes later.
The hosts put an exclamation mark on the result in the 86th minute.
Despite conceding three, Timi Adams came up with a pair of class saves in the second half to keep Tech in the match.
Virginia Tech returns home for a Tuesday night matchup at Thompson Field with William & Mary at 6 p.m.
