syracuse and virginia tech draw in blacksburg

Nick Cheshire

October 25, 2020

BLACKSBURG – Despite a 24-7 shot advantage, Virginia Tech was held to a draw against Syracuse on Saturday night at Thompson Field.

A pair of shots from Syracuse in the 14th minute led to an early strike by senior defender Sondre Norheim, his first goal of the year.

The Hokies responded before long, tying the match in the 28th minute. Sophomore midfielder Nick Blacklock scored his first goal of the year off a nice pass in the box from freshman midfielder Landon Ameres. Tech outshot Syracuse 6-4 in the first half with each team recording three shots on goal.

The Orange came out firing early in the second half, recording three shots on goal between the 53rd and 54th minutes, but the Hokies regrouped defensively and did not allow another chance for the rest of the period. Tech put two shots on goal throughout the remainder of the half, forcing a pair of saves by Syracuse redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Russell Shealy.

Still 1-1, the match headed to overtime, where Tech had numerous opportunities in the final minutes but could not break the tie. The Hokies tallied six shots, four of which were on goal, while not allowing Syracuse an opportunity. The second overtime was a relatively bleak affair, as Tech outshot the Orange 2-0 but neither team recorded a shot on goal.

Blacklock, who scored the lone goal for the Hokies, tallied an impressive seven shots on the night, putting three on goal. He now leads the team in shots this year with 12. Senior forward Luther Archimede led Syracuse with two shots while Shealy had eight saves on the evening.

The draw moves the Virginia Tech to 0-1-2 and Syracuse to 0-2-2, with both teams still hunting for their first victory. Both squads have two matches remaining in the regular season.

Both teams are back in action on Friday, Oct. 30 at 7 p.m., with the Hokies traveling to Louisville and Syracuse playing at Virginia.