No. 14 Virginia tech faces no. 1 north Carolina after two week pause

Jack Brizendine

March 13, 2021

BLACKSBURG, Va. ― No. 14 Virginia Tech returns to Thompson field on Saturday to battle No. 1 North Carolina.

For the first time in two weeks, the Hokies will take to the field after a positive covid test postponed two games. Virginia Tech was originally scheduled to play No. 4 Notre Dame last Saturday and North Carolina on Thursday.

The Hokies look to earn their first victory against the Tar Heels in program history on Saturday. North Carolina has won all of the two programs’ 29 games.

The Tar Heels won the most recent matchup last April, 19-9.

Virginia Tech fell in its last game to then No. 12 Virginia, 12-10, dropping the team’s record to 2-2.

While the Hokies come into the game off a loss, the Tar Heels go into Saturday’s game looking to continue an undefeated 2021 campaign.

North Carolina earned its most recent victory last Saturday against Boston College, 21-9. With the win, the Tar Heels stretched their record to 6-0.

Virginia Tech Key to the game: Capitalize on Shots

The Hokies racked up 25 shots against the Cavaliers, but only scored on 10 of them.

If they can shoot more efficiently against the Tar Heels, they’ll be in good shape to leave the field with a victory on Sunday.

North Carolina Key to the game: Force Turnovers early and often

Virginia Tech struggled to get going offensively against Virginia, mainly because the Cavaliers cut off the Hokies’ scoring opportunities by forcing turnovers.

Virginia essentially created a Virginia Tech turnover for every goal it allowed, which is the blueprint North Carolina needs to follow to have success.

Virginia Tech Player to watch: Paige Petty

Petty leads the Hokies with 10 goals this season. She had a great performance against Virginia, finding the back of the net three times for the hat trick.

Solid play from Petty will be crucial in order for Virginia Tech to pull off the upset.

North Carolina Player to watch: Jamie Ortega

Ortega is the Tar Heels best player all-around. The Senior Attacker leads North Carolina with 22 goals on the year and ranks second on the team with 10 assists.

Ortega exploded in the team’s most recent outing against Boston College, firing in six goals for North Carolina.

The Tar Heels will need another strong performance from Ortega to hold down the Hokies.

Score Prediction: North Carolina 17, Virginia Tech 11

While Virginia Tech appears to be one of the better teams in the ACC this season, North Carolina has too much talent to be threatened.

Expect Virginia Tech to come out hot like it typically does, but in the end, the better team should come out on top, 17-11.

The game will start at 1 p.m. on ACC Network Extra.