no. 9 virginia tech topples no. 23 louisville in important acc matchup

Nick Cheshire

Staff Writer

October 8, 2021

BLACKSBURG — An overcast evening at Thompson Field ushered in a pivotal ACC matchup between two Top-25 teams, with No. 9 Virginia Tech taking down No. 23 Louisville 4-2 to bolster its ACC resumé.

“This game was monumental for us, for a lot of reasons,” Virginia Tech head coach Mike Brizendine said. “[Coming in] I thought the winner of this game was going to be in a good position, both in the ACC and for an at-large selection. I’m glad it’s us.”

The Hokies came out firing in the second half, blowing past the Cardinals with a quartet of goals and a relentless offensive onslaught, spearheaded by forward Jacob Labovitz, who scored twice after the break, redeeming a pair of near-misses in the first half.

“Sometimes that first or second chance you get has to happen for you to gain confidence,” Labovitz said. “It helps you to get in stride, and in the second half you feel more into the game.”

Labovitz broke the scoreless tie just minutes into the second half, converting on a long cross from defender Kyle McDowell. Just five minutes later he would strike again, this time on a pass from midfielder Tyler Taber, who found Labovitz point blank in front of the net for back-to-back goals.

The Hokies would add their second pair of goals in the 75^th and 81^st minutes, from forward Pol Monells and forward Kahlil Dover, respectively. Both Monells and Dover were dominant, combining for five total shots.

Another major storyline Friday evening was the Hokies’ impressive defensive performance, led by backup goalkeeper Matt Zambetti, who was forced into action with usual starter Ben Martino unavailable.

“Definitely a bit of nerves, (going against) a big team,” Zambetti said. “I played some games last spring, so I have experience. You just have to play how you practice, and that’s what I did.”

Zambetti was outstanding, especially in the first half. In the 41^st minute, he leapt towards the far post to punch away a shot from Louisville’s Sander Roed, keeping things scoreless heading into the half.

“He was dribbling down the side, and then he kind of cut in,” Zambetti said. “At that point, you know to kind of drop back, open up, and do what you’re trained to do. Just punch it out.”

Zambetti made six saves, only allowing a pair of second half goals, one of which came with under two minutes to play on a careless defensive breakdown after the game was effectively over.

With the victory, the Hokies move to 7-1-3, 3-1-1 ACC, holding on to second place in the ACC, and Louisville drops to 7-4-0, 3-2 ACC.

Both teams are scheduled for non-conference action next Tuesday, with Virginia Tech hosting Davidson and Louisville hosting Eastern Illinois.