Hokie ClubCHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia Tech used a pair of first-half goals to claim a 2-1 Commonwealth Clash victory over Virginia on Friday night at Klöckner Stadium.
The Hokies (6-3-1, 3-1-1 ACC) struck twice in the opening 23 minutes, with Alvaro Ruiz-Mateos and Luke Hamel finding the back of the net to give Tech a 2-0 advantage heading into halftime.
Virginia Tech opened the scoring in the 11th minute when Ruiz-Mateos converted a chance set up by Jaden Chan Tack and Yanis Belatrache. The goal marked Ruiz-Mateos' second of the season.
Just over 12 minutes later, Hamel doubled the Hokies' advantage. The midfielder scored his third goal of the season on an unassisted effort in the 23rd minute for the two-goal cushion.
The Hokies carried the 2-0 lead into the break after outshooting the Cavaliers, 6-5, in the opening 45 minutes.
Virginia responded in the second half, cutting the deficit to one in the 80th minute when Marco Dos Santos converted a penalty kick. The Cavaliers continued to pressure the Hokies, finishing the match with a 10-9 advantage in shots in the second half.
Virginia Tech's defense held firm over the final 10 minutes, while goalkeeper Diego Dauzier made six saves to preserve the victory.
The win gives the Hokies a point in the Commonwealth Clash, presented by Smithfield. The score for the Commonwealth Clash currently is 1.0.-0.0 in favor of Virginia Tech. For more information, visit hokiesports.com/commonwealth-clash.
UP NEXT
Virginia Tech returns to Blacksburg on Tuesday, Oct. 6 for a 6 p.m. start against Longwood. The match will be shown on ACC Network Extra.