Hokies deliver monstrous 7-1 victory over elon

Ishan Lamba

Staff Writer

August 27, 2021

BLACKSBURG — Being hounded by Elon defenders after retrieving the ball in the box, freshman forward Aino Vuorinen spotted her teammate Ava Veith running in for support.

She passed back to Veith, who took a touch with her left foot, then elected to shoot from 30 yards out. Her long, arching shot managed to dip at just the right time, ducking under the crossbar and beating the outstretched left hand of Phoenix goalkeeper McKenna Dalfonso, as a Hokies’ kick found the back of the net for the fifth time Thursday night.

Virginia Tech (3-0) would tack on two more in a 7-1 rout of Elon (1-2). Veith’s goal marked the fifth time the Hokies had scored in the first 27 minutes of play.

Following last week’s underwhelming victory against William & Mary — a team that Tech beat 3-0 last spring — in which the Hokies’ offense failed to put away numerous chances, coach Chugger Adair mentioned that finishing off chances would be an area of focus in upcoming practices.

It looked like the work paid off.

Just five minutes into the night, forward Nicole Kozlova continued to show off her moves, with a small stutter step to get past Elon defender Kayla Hodges. Working into space, she threaded it directly to Emily Gray, who was camped out in front of the net. Gray got her foot around the ball and slotted it in between Dalfonso’s legs for her first goal of the season.

Moments later, Pelkowski found Gray running up the middle into open space again. Gray’s shot beat Dalfonso but clanked off the right post. The Hokies looked disappointed that they didn’t go up 2-0 early, but they didn’t have to wait long.

A minute later, Pelkowski tried to chip the ball over Dalfonso, instead Tech forced a deflection. It trickled past Dalfonso’s shoulder and she watched helplessly as Kozlova smashed the ball into the back of the net.

Despite the two early concessions, and with 80 minutes left in the match, Elon could have easily gotten back in it with a quick stop and score. However, the next 10 minutes would put the game to bed.

In the 15^th minute, Pelkowski sent in a deflected ball back into the box, where she was able to find Gray’s head. The redirection earned her a brace in the early stages of the match after she was held off the score sheet on Sunday.

“Contributing on the score sheet is always a good feeling,” Gray said. “It was really good to set the tone for this game. I’ve been disappointed the last few games, not finishing my chances, but we’ve come away with the result, so I know my time will come when it’s needed.”

Kozlova wasn’t too far behind the goal party, as she managed to shake another two defenders off her, following a pass from Gabby Johnson. The angle she created allowed her to rocket a right-footed shot on goal, beating Dalfonso.

Kozlova’s ability to work herself free of defenders has been her early season trademark, she did it a few times against Liberty last Thursday and once more against William & Mary.

“It’s just about using some of my momentum versus their momentum, “ she explained. “I’m running at full speed, often forwards, while they’re tracking backwards. So just trying to catch them on little changes of direction… and any body fake, they will often fall for it. Just being one step ahead of the defender.”

After some respite, Veith’s goal made the score 5-0, which required decisive communication with Vuorinen.

“I heard Ava yelling to me loudly, ‘Aino, Aino, pass here’ and I knew she was gonna score, she was so confidently yelling to me,” Vuorinen told 3304 Sports after the game.

The freshman from Finland got her first game action tonight, which she said was ‘important’ for her. “It felt good to go on the pitch, it’s been a long road to come here so it felt really good with the team hyping me up.”

Following a 45 minute weather delay, midfielder Holly Rose Weber scored a goal in a very similar fashion to Veith’s. Her curving shot from way outside the 18-yard box, with just 90 seconds left in the half, gave Virginia Tech a six-goal cushion.

Adair decided that, given the lead, it would be best to give as many reps to the younger players as possible. Goalie Alia Skinner and nearly all other starters took a seat for the rest of the match, allowing some of the younger players, such as goalie Lauren Hargrove, to make their season debuts.

The substitutes would play out the remainder of the match, and built off the momentum the starters created in the first half. The Phoenix, also understanding the tough circumstances they were in, also substituted most of their players, hoping to create a spark.

Although there were very few chances from either squad, there was evident intent from all the players. The bench players really impressed Adair.

“Ball movement, speed of play, and movement off the ball were the key things for those players to learn.”

Following Hargrove’s debut, Adair turned it over to senior S.A. Phillips to finish out the match. Dalfonso’s rough night also ended early, as she was replaced by Katrin Hauksdottir, who came in and made two exceptionally sharp reaction saves. But, she too, was also beaten by the aggressive Hokie lineup.

Following a defensive breakdown, Kate Bonshak won the ball back for Virginia Tech. She fed it through for freshman Sophie Maltese, who found an angle that worked and buried a low, left-footed shot past Hauksdottir.

In the waning seconds of the match, Abby Fusca made a final push towards the net, hoping to give Elon something to build off of for the next match. Her shot took a deflection off Sarah Bevington and sailed past Phillips. The Hokies pleaded with the head referee, appealing for offside and handball. These pleas were ignored, as the shutout was broken up with just 37 seconds left to play.

Even though the Hokies didn’t maintain a clean sheet, they still earned a third victory to start the season. To Gray and the team, the key to their success is very simple: camaraderie.

“I think it’s really what’s going off the field with this group, where there’s a togetherness about us this season,” she said. “It’s just the mentality of this group and we came out flying. We’ll watch this game and see us flying all over the place and ready to win the ball.”

Now Virginia Tech begins a three-game road stint, taking on Cincinnati, James Madison, and the defending national champions, Santa Clara. The team looks to continue its momentum as best it can in hopes of returning to Blacksburg undefeated.

“Going on the road is gonna be tough on Sunday,” she continued. “The momentum here at home, we love playing here, it’s great having the fans back and the shirtless Hokie boys yelling some crazy stuff. Being home is really special to us."