Hokies rally for draw at No. 23 Notre DameHokies rally for draw at No. 23 Notre Dame
Men's Soccer

Hokies rally for draw at No. 23 Notre Dame

Freshman Ethan Page scored the equalizer in his Virginia Tech debut

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Box Score

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Virginia Tech battled back from a one-goal deficit to claim a 1-1 draw against No. 23 Notre Dame Friday evening.

Ethan Page stepped onto the field in the 79th minute to make his debut as a Hokie and scored the equalizer just four minutes later.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Virginia Tech’s offense pressed in the opening 15 minutes, maintaining a heavy presence in their attacking third of the pitch as they ripped off five shots before No. 23 Notre Dame was able to get one of their own. The Fighting Irish broke the deadlock at the 21st minute with a header on the corner kick to take the 1-0 lead.

The Hokies, who finished the first half with eight shots, had a chance on Alex Perez’s free kick at the 44th minute that swung to the back post for a waiting Amir Ariely to tap it in, but the attempt ricochetted into the hands of Notre Dame’s Blake Kelly.

The Fighting Irish blitzed quickly on the attack while holding Tech out of an offensive rhythm. No. 23 Notre Dame logged four shots before a third of the second half was completed and two that were saved consecutively in the 57th minute. The Hokies stepped up their defense as the 59th minute marked the last shot in the match from the home team.

Virginia Tech was able to reset offensively, building power off two fiery shots from Ian Marcano (62’) and Declan Quill (70’) that both grazed off the goal post. As the Hokies made their final substitution of the match, freshman Ethan Page stepped on the pitch for his debut and was impactful setting up right in front of the goal to head in Perez’s corner kick in the 83rd minute for the equalizer. Tech saw another chance, this time a dangerous straight on flicking header from Dagur Traustason, at the 88th minute that was saved by the Irish to keep the 1-1 result intact.

GAME NOTES

  • Virginia Tech improves to 3-2-4 overall and 0-2-2 in the ACC
  • The Hokies collected their second tie in the series history with No. 23 Notre Dame and the first since the 0-0 draw on Oct. 16, 2015
  • Tech holds a 1-1-2 record against top 25 opponents in 2025
  • The Hokies held the 14-8 shot advantage while edging out the Fighting Irish in corner kicks, 6-3
  • Ethan Page became Tech’s ninth different goal scorer of the season
  • It is the second straight match where a freshman has scored for Virginia Tech
  • Alex Perez tallied his second assist of the season
  • It is the second straight ACC match where Sam Joseph has made three or more saves

UP NEXT
Virginia Tech returns to the confines of Thompson Field for a three-match homestand. The Hokies start the stretch on Tuesday, Oct. 7 for a 5 p.m. match with Longwood.