HOKIES CAN’T MAKE COMEBACK AFTER EARLY STRUGGLEs VS No. 18 virginia

By Bradley Winterling

Staff Writer

October 21, 2023

BLACKSBURG – Virginia Tech was unable to overcome a slow start against No. 18 Virginia in a 3-0 loss Friday night. The Cavaliers (8-3-3) were able to establish a lead early against the Hokies (4-6-4), with a goal just three minutes into the match. The win gave UVA a 2-0 lead over VT in the 2023 Commonwealth Clash.

Virginia freshman Stephen Annor Gyamfi was responsible for the early strike, and added another score later in the contest. He was already leading Virginia in goals scored with eight coming into the game, and improved that number to 10 on the season. 

The Hokies made an abundance of mistakes on Friday night. On the first goal scored by Gyamfi, there was a turnover by Tech defender Grant Howard just outside the box. Gyamfi took his chance and fired the ball over the head of Tech goalie Timi Adams. 

“I think that we gave away the ball in terrible spots and they penalized us on it,” Tech head coach Mike Brizendine said. “I have never seen a collection of poor goals given up. And it's frustrating, because in every other facet, I thought we were excellent.”

The second goal of the night by Virginia came on a free kick from Daniel Mangarov. A yellow card was called on Marco Vesterholm, which gave the Cavaliers an opportunity just outside the box. Mangarov fired the shot into the bottom right corner, giving Virginia a 2-0 lead just 22 minutes into the match. 

Virginia scored one more time in the second half — Gyamfi's second goal of the night. He forced a turnover right around midfield, made a move past a tech defender and created a one-on-one opportunity against the goalkeeper. Adams ran out to defend, but Gyamfi drilled the shot into the bottom of the net. 

Despite allowing three goals, Tech goalkeeper Timi Adams had six saves on the night. Without his strong effort, Virginia could’ve very well had five or six goals. 

“You just gotta stay locked in,” Adams said. “You try your hardest and give your all, you know? It’s a blessing to be out here, win, lose, or draw. Each day, I’m just gonna put my best foot forward, and I’m thankful to God for this opportunity.”

The Hokies managed to only lose the shot battle 16-13. However, only three of Tech’s 13 shots were on target — echoing a theme of missed opportunities that has haunted the team this year.

“You can’t get any better than that in an ACC game,” Brizendine said. “And you know, if you have it at 2-1 it changes the dynamic, so just not good enough on either end of the ball and we’re paying the price for it.”

The Hokies face off against Radford (1-10-2) on Tuesday night in Blacksburg, looking to get back on track against a struggling Highlander squad. Tech just has two regular season games left on the season. 

“We just have to take each opportunity on the chin,” Adams said. “Every moment’s a learning moment. So you know, just keep on learning from these and moving on and try to do your best each and every day.”