In an Exciting Ranked Battle, Hokies Prevail Away from Home

Kolbjorn Bergstrom

March 1, 2021

CONWAY, S.C. — In the first game of the season, No. 10 Virginia Tech got off to a hot start at No. 21 Coastal Carolina, pulling away with a 2-0 victory away from home.

In a highly anticipated matchup between two teams that finished the fall in the top five, the Hokies had the majority of possession in the first 20 minutes. The only problem for Tech was not having a goal to reward their efforts, which came in the 26th minute of play.

Tech senior forward Jacob Labovitz was able to take advantage of an unfortunate miscommunication from the Chanticleers’ backline and bury the ball into the open net to give VT an early lead.

The game settled down after the strong start from the visitors, however that did not change the scoreline heading into the half as the Hokies held the lead and the Chanticleers were still looking for their first shot on target.

That outcome quickly changed seven minutes into the second half when senior midfielder DZ Harmon gave the Chanticleers their first shot on target, which was saved by senior goalkeeper Mathijs Swaneveld.

Four minutes after their first shot on target, the Chanticleers faced a devastating whistle, as senior goalkeeper Tor Saunders fouled Tech sophomore forward Daniel Starr inside of the box, leading to a penalty. The opportunity was converted by junior defender and captain Sivert Haugli, giving the Hokies a 2-0 lead in the 57th minute.

The Chanticleers had two more shots on target during this half, but both were saved by Mathijs Swaneveld. Tech’s strong defensive performance led to the Hokies prevailing over the Chanticleers at the final whistle at Brooks Stadium.

The Hokies will look to continue their strong start to the season as they return to Blacksburg to face off against Duke (0-0-1) on Sat., March 6, at 1 p.m. The Chanticleers have two games to look forward to this week, with their first opponent being VCU (0-1-0) back at home on March 3 at 6 p.m.