No. 1 Pitt downs hokies; tech left battered and bruised

Ishan Lamba

Staff Writer

November 8, 2021

PITTSBURGH, Pa. — Revenge was on the mind in the ACC Quarterfinals for a No. 8-seeded Virginia Tech team that suffered a 4-1 beat down at the hands of top seeded Pitt just nine days ago.

Valentin Noel, the reigning ACC Offensive Player of the Year, wasn’t willing to oblige, putting the dagger in VT’s dreams in the 103rd minute.

It was the toughest moment in a night filled with them for the Hokies (10-5-3, 3-4-1 ACC). In the first matchup between these two squads, Tech’s chances at pulling off the upset when Sivert Haugli was shown a straight red card in the 23rd minute of play.

However, with Haugli returning from suspension, head coach Mike Brizendine thought his team’s second attempt at executing the game plan “was much better”.

It didn’t start out that way, however.

Noel got Pitt (11-4-1, 5-2-1 ACC) off to a fast start, threading the needle between midfielder Kyle McDowell and keeper Ben Martino to put the Panthers up 1-0 less than five minutes into the match.

With the Hokies trailing, it seemed like VT was in for a second beatdown. McDowell ensured that wouldn’t happen, equalizing just four minutes later with a wrong-footed shot that just snuck between goalkeeper Nick Campuzano and the near post.

After two goals were scored within the first 10 minutes of the game, an offensive explosion seemed imminent, almost guaranteed even, after the teams combined for five goals just over a week ago.

Instead, it turned into a defensive showcase.

Campuzano and Martino were immovable walls in the net, making jaw-dropping saves.

The first came from the fist of Campuzano, with a diving punch save in the 19th minute to deny Jacob Labovitz, Tech’s leading goal-scorer the last two years, the go-ahead goal.

Four minutes later, he was able to rise above the jumping bodies to collect a Conor Pugh header that was mis-hit.

Martino would get in on the action in the 25th minute, with a superman-style save to palm a curling shot from Noel over the bar.

A bit of luck fell in favor of the Hokies, as Martino made a reflex save on a corner and Bertin Jacquesson’s toe-tap shot trickled just wide of an empty net within two minutes of each other.

There was a stark contrast between the first half showcase of skill and finesse by both teams and the physically brutal grudge match that took place during the second half.

Early on in the half, Tech missed two chances to grab the lead, after a Danny Flores cross came up empty and Labovitz misplayed a cross in front of the net.

From then on, the Hokies’ chances would dry up and injuries would begin. Haugli, playing this redemption game as a holding midfielder rather than a center back, sustained an injury in the first half and lasted just 10 minutes into the second before spending the rest of the match on the bench.

Flores and McDowell would sustain head injuries on 50/50 balls in the air, which sidelined McDowell as well. For a team still missing their star midfielder Mayola Kinyua, as well as forward depth in Tyler Taber, these injuries were an unwelcome sight.

Pitt looked to capitalize on VT’s inexperienced defense, peppering Martino with a flurry of shots.

With such sustained pressure, Tech looked like it was about to crumble, as Pitt was closing in on the go-ahead.

Monells was able to cool the fiery Pitt offense with a counter-attacking run that ended with a shot clanking off the woodwork in the 78th minute.

After 90 minutes, both coaches approached overtime with similar attitudes.

“Just wait for opportunities and try to win it,” Brizendine stated. “We’ve been pretty good in overtime games this year, so just keep playing.”

“Next goal wins,” Pitt coach Jay Vidovich said bluntly. “We started finding some holes in Virginia Tech’s defense and got closer and closer to the goal. We just knew the next goal had to be us, we didn’t wanna go to PKs.”

The first overtime was relatively uneventful. Pitt kept playing aggressively and Tech seemed content to sit back and defend. It wouldn’t be until the closing seconds of the period that Martino would have to make another diving fingertip save, similar to his save in the 25th minute, denying the game-winner.

In the second frame, Pitt wouldn’t be denied. After slowly cracking through the Hokies’ defense, Noel would provide the final breakthrough, converting on a cross that Martino had no chance of stopping. A perfectly placed ball glancing across the face of the net was just out of reach for anyone in the black and orange.

It was another heartbreaking postseason loss for a team that has had to endure a lot of them in recent years.

Going against the No. 1 team in the conference, the Hokies seemed to hold their own.

“We were able to capitalize off the expulsion in the last match but in this one, Tech held their own,” Vidovich told reporters after the game. “After we scored the goal, we let our guard down, Tech answered and it took the wind out of our sails. Hats off to Virginia Tech, they were defensively strong and were always a threat to catch us on a counter or a restart.”

Brizendine was more mum on the result. “We allowed more goals than they did.”

With how much Vidovich and his staff have grown the game in Pittsburgh, both coaches recognize just how big an advantage a raucous home crowd is.

“I was talking with [coach Brizendine] and saying, ‘what you’ve done with the sport there in Blacksburg has been great, and same thing here,’” Vidovich said. “To have the fans behind us is a bonus, great atmosphere for college soccer. It’s crucial that we keep the fans happy and wanting to come back.”

Those fans have made Ambrose Urbanic a fortress to play in, making it no secret as to how the Panthers possess the second longest home unbeaten streak in the country, now at 19.

Going forward, both teams have different focuses.

For Brizendine’s group, all eyes are on health for the NCAA tournament.

“We need to get healthy, that’s first and foremost,” Brizendine said. “Then hopefully we get a good draw and good seeding. We’ve been lucky to get good ones the last five years. And from there, just get [the players] right and try to make a run.”

Vidovich’s squad, on the other hand, is after a feat that has long eluded them: Winning the ACC tournament.

“We have to gather ourselves. When it’s your first game, it’s a tight situation. It’s what Virginia Tech experienced against Boston College, going into double overtime,” Vidovich noted. “It’s do-or-die, single-elimination, and being mentally and physically tight can cost you. I hope that now we’ve experienced it, we got through it, we got pushed in a way that we did not want to and I hope that we’ve come out on the other side stronger.”

Pitt advances to the semifinals to play Notre Dame next Wednesday while Virginia Tech will be back in action later this month for the NCAA tournament.