Virginia Tech And Davidson Battle To 2-2 Draw In Dramatic Game

James Duncan

Staff Writer

October 29, 2024

BLACKSBURG — Virginia Tech welcomed Davidson to Thompson Field on Tuesday night looking to end a two-game losing streak.

The Hokies (7-6-3) got out to a fast start. In the 9th minute, Ethan Hackenberg attempted a shot on goal that was deflected by Wildcats (5-6-5) defender Eamon Moylan high into the air. The ball took a strange bounce upwards and found its way to Oliver Roche, who headed it over the goalkeeper’s head to give the Hokies a 1-0 advantage.

Tech’s defense was very strong throughout the first 45 minutes. Davidson’s only real opportunity to that point came when they were awarded a free kick in the 17th minute, but were quickly turned away by the Hokies’ wall.

The first 20 minutes were dominated by the Hokies. The Wildcats could never find any real momentum as the Hokies dominated the time of possession. 

In the 20th minute, Davidson’s Ayman Maadir was given a yellow card giving Tech a prime opportunity to take a commanding two-goal lead. Ian Marcano took the free kick near midfield and placed it well for Roche to head it in but it sailed just over the goal.

Despite missing a couple of opportunities to grow their lead, the Hokies went into halftime looking dominant.

The tides shifted immediately as the teams came out for the final 45 minutes of the game. Just one minute into the second half, a miscommunication among the Tech defenders near the edge of the box allowed Noah Louzan to equalize.

Drama ensued just minutes later as Tech looked to regain the lead. Marcano took a strong strike at the ball which was stopped by Lucas Beltran. However, the ball was not clearly controlled by Beltran, who was scrambling to get on top of it, when Hackenberg met him and chipped the ball over him into the back of the net. 

The referee quickly disallowed the goal and issued Hackenberg a foul. Hackenberg and the rest of the Hokies sideline were visibly frustrated with the call.

The game continued as the Hokies tried to keep their composure. In the 66th minute, Marcano found himself near the corner as he made a beautiful cross to Roche, who would have been credited for the goal, but CJ Coppola deflected Roche’s shot into the back of the net giving the Hokies a 2-1 lead.

Davidson, with its back against the wall, really had to press the issue. They kept their cool and looked to find the equalizer. In the 84th minute, Davidson was awarded its first corner of the game which was quickly batted away by Cooper Wenzel, but Myles Culley on the edge of the box, strikes the ball through a sea of defenders past Wenzel to tie the game

As the final whistle blew, ending the game in a 2-2 draw, the Hokies left the field incredibly frustrated knowing that they could have easily won the game.

The Hokies will end their regular season on Friday against No. 2 Clemson (6 p.m. ET, ACC Network Extra) at Thompson Field.