Hokies Clip Winthrop’s Wings In 6-0 Drubbing

Robbie Ackerly

Staff Writer

October 15, 2024

BLACKSBURG — To say Virginia Tech battled Winthrop at Thompson Field on Tuesday night would be an overstatement. 

The Hokies (7-3-2) thrashed the Eagles (4-7-1) 6-0, marking the largest shutout victory Tech has had since Oct. 9th, 2007. 

While a win against struggling Winthrop may not peak the interest of the United Soccer Coaches, it’s dominant wins like the one Tech had that demonstrate a complete team. 

“There is no such thing as a little win,” Hokies head coach Mike Brizendine said after the game. “You see teams turn these [midweek] games over all the time.” 

The victory continued Tech’s undefeated streak against non-conference opponents this season as the Hokies improved to 6-0-1 against teams outside of the ACC. 

It hasn’t just been victory in these non-conference matchups either. It has been domination. 

Virginia Tech picked up its sixth clean sheet of the year today — its fifth against non-conference opponents. In seven non-conference games, Tech has only allowed three goals.

Coach Briz described keeping clean sheets as, “the most important thing.” 

“You're not gonna lose if you keep a clean sheet,” he joked. 

It has been clear that the Hokies are a mismatch for most of their out of conference foes. Tuesday’s fixture was no different. 

Inside the first 30 seconds of the contest, Tech fired two shots on goal, nearly netting their quickest goal of the season. 

Continuing to apply pressure early, a Hokies header sailed over the crossbar in the 6th minute, and a diving save by Winthrop goalkeeper Andres Manzano Garcia in the 7th kept Tech at bay. 

But the Eagles could not protect their nest forever. 

As the 11th minute began, Tech sophomore defender Noe Uwimana and junior midfielder Mathias Yohannes set up a shot for senior forward Ethan Hackenberg, who buried the ball into the bottom right corner of the net from just outside the penalty box to finally open the scoring. 

It took just five minutes for the Hokies to double their advantage. In the 16th minute, junior forward Andy Sullins blasted the ball from way downtown into the bottom left corner of the net: a beautiful strike for Sullins’ first goal of the season to make it 2-0 before Winthrop even attempted a shot. 

Tech’s defense was impeccable, making goalie Cooper Wenzel’s night an easy one. 

In the 20th minute, Winthrop finally took a shot on goal, but the ball traveled straight into Wenzel hands. That marked the Eagles’ only shot on goal in the first half, a far cry from Tech’s 10. 

Up 2-0, the Hokies never took their foot off the gas. 

In the 43rd minute, junior Malick Thiaw robbed Winthrop’s Emory Crichlow, blazed into the penalty box, and delivered the ball straight to the back of the net. 

Two minutes later, sophomore defender Yonish Kireh used all six-foot-three of himself to leap into the air and finish a free kick delivery from freshman midfielder Ian Marcano with a header to make it a 4-0 Hokies advantage at halftime. 

The second 45 minutes proved to be more of the same, as Winthrop had just two shots on goal in the entire second half. 

It was quiet on both sides until a 76th minute penalty by Winthrop gave Tech freshman midfielder Alex Perez a penalty kick. He netted it, making it 5-0 Hokies. 

Even up by five goals, Tech was not satisfied. 

In the 88th minute, sophomore forward Oliver Roche was spoon-fed by junior forward C.J. Coppola, marking the Hokies sixth and final goal. 

It was certainly a great win for the Hokies after a winless couple of weeks, and it definitely gets them in the right state of mind before an ACC clash with a Wake Forest team that Brizendine described as “uber talented.”

That fixture with the Demon Deacons (6-3-5) takes place Saturday, at 7 p.m. ET at Spry Stadium in Winston-Salem.