No. 13 Virginia Tech Falls in Spring Opener

Ishan Lamba

March 6, 2021

BLACKSBURG, Va. — No. 13 Virginia Tech hoped to capitalize off a strong away performance in Conway, S.C., taking down Coastal Carolina 2-0 last weekend. However, it wasn’t meant to be, as Duke’s quick-striking offense left Virginia Tech in the dust, 4-2.

Compared to the Hokies, who had a strong season prior to Saturday, Duke struggled mightily, entering the game 2-7-2 and 2-4 in conference play. Virginia Tech (4-3-2, 3-2-2 ACC) hoped to take advantage in its first ACC matchup this spring.

Duke opened up the game playing aggressively but didn’t trouble Mathijs Swaneveld too much, as the Hokie defense cleared most chances with ease.

The red-hot Blue Devils cooled off a bit, conceding two corners in the 15th and 16th minutes. While the first bounced over everyone’s head, the second was headed on goal by Tech’s Zane Bubb, but a strong save by Duke goalkeeper Eliot Hamill kept it scoreless.

The first big chance took place in the 21st minute when the ball was teed up on the edge of the box. Jack Doran had a chance for Duke with a laser of a shot that was just wide of the net.

It didn’t cost the Blue Devils too much, however, as just five minutes later, a Duke counterattack set up Nick Pariano alone on the right edge of the box and he did not miss, firing it into the side netting to give the visitors the lead.

It wasn’t long before Duke doubled its lead, capitalizing off a miscommunication by the Hokies. Pariano readied a shot that was fired into the crossbar. The leaping Swaneveld couldn’t get set quickly enough as the rebound was punched in by Daniel Wright.

With the Hokies in a hole, a sensational goal from Jacob Labovitz got them back into the contest. A perfect throw-in into the box from Kyle McDowell and Labovitz bicycle kicked it past Hamill to cut the deficit in half and add a fifth goal to his already strong season.

That sparked the Virginia Tech attack and it dominated possession as the first half drew to a close. Hamill was up to the task, saving chance after chance.

Tech’s Landon Ameres had a low curving shot in the 34th minute that was saved, but Khalil Dover had an excellent opportunity to equalize just before the half. Jakob Bluemler sent a cross into the box and Dover got a strong head to it, but was stifled by an incredibly aerial save from Hamill.

The Hokies went into the half seeming optimistic by the late chances they produced.

The second half was seemingly a replay of the first half. While VT came out with the same pep it had to close the first half, Duke quickly settled back into a possession-dominated attack.

Like deja vu, the Blue Devils hit the Hokies hard with two quick strikes. The first came in the 54th minute by Nicolas Macri in the form of a header that was low and away from Swaneveld, who seemed to have lost his position and drifted too far to his left.

In the 55th minute, Peter Stroud was all alone in the right corner of the field, charging in on goal. Swaneveld came out to defend any shot or cross, but it wasn’t enough. Stroud found Stephen O'Connell in the center of the box and he booted it into the empty goal with ease.

As the winds continued to swirl, the tempers began to flare. Macri fouled VT’s Mayola Kinyua, who did not take kindly to the challenge. The chirping between the two after the foul earned Kinyua a yellow card.

Later on, a Duke forward leaped over Kyle McDowell to try and head the ball, tackling McDowell in the process. Frustrated, McDowell stood up and flipped his opponent to the ground, earning himself a yellow card.

With the game out of reach, VT looked to generate momentum to take into next week’s game, but Hamill had other plans. He denied the Hokies a chance getting close to coming back. First, a brilliant save on a Daniel Starr breakaway in the 73rd minute. Then, he saved shots in the 77th minutes, pushing them high over the crossbar.

It wasn’t until the 85th minute that the Hokies breached Duke’s defenses. Andrew Weber took a deflected ball and laced it into the upper half of the net for a consolation goal.

There were some chances in the 89th minute off of a free kick from McDowell into the box, but they were all blocked by Duke defenders to seal a two-goal victory over Virginia Tech.

The Hokies return to Thompson Field next Saturday, at 5 p.m., hoping to rebound against a formidable foe in No. 1 Clemson (8-2-1). Meanwhile, the Blue Devils return to Durham to face off with Notre Dame (6-4) on Friday at 7 p.m.