no. 13 virginia tech falls to north carolina for first home loss of season

Nick Cheshire

Staff Writer

October 25, 2021

BLACKSBURG — Some things just aren’t meant to be, like a perfect home record in fall 2021 for No. 13 Virginia Tech, which was spoiled by North Carolina on Sunday night.

The Hokies (9-3-3, 3-3-1 ACC) were shutout by the Tar Heels (9-5-1, 3-4-0 ACC) 2-0, for their second loss in three games after they were held off the scoreboard once prior in their first 13 matches.

Penalty kicks proved to be the difference maker, with North Carolina drawing two, one in each half, on fouls in the box.

The first came in the 37th minute, after Ben Martino collided with UNC’s Tega Ikoba, drawing a yellow card. Midfielder Milo Garvanian took the penalty kick for the Tar Heels and was stymied when Martino guessed correctly, redeeming himself and keeping the match scoreless.

The second came early in the second half, in the 53rd minute, this time taken by forward Santiago Hererra. Hererra delivered a perfect ball into the upper right corner of the net, beating Martino and giving UNC the lead.

The Tar Heels would add an insurance goal late in the 77th minute, this time off the foot of Garvanian, assisted by Yaya Bakayoko, putting this one out of reach.

Injuries to Welnilton Da Silva Jr. and Mayola Kinyua contributed to the series of unfortunate events for the Hokies in the second half, and both were sidelined for the remainder of the match.

UNC keeper Alec Smir was huge, only recording two saves but making key plays all night and recording a clean sheet. Martino made a couple big saves to keep things close but was ultimately undone by a couple of golden opportunities.

With the postseason approaching fast, each team has just one regular season match remaining, both taking place next Friday.

The Tar Heels host Notre Dame while the Hokies travel to Pittsburgh for a highly anticipated matchup against No. 10 Pitt.