VIRGINIA TECH BEATS CHARLOTTE WITH LAST GASP EFFORT

Kolbjorn Bergstrom

March 7, 2021

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In a game that was kept close by an early goal for both sides, Virginia Tech peppered shots at Charlotte’s goal in the last fifteen minutes of the game, finding a goal with minutes to spare, giving the Hokies a 2-1 win in North Carolina.

The game got off to a hot start on Sunday as both teams were able to grab a goal within the first fifteen minutes.

Freshman forward Tori Powell found a pass to junior midfielder Emily Gray to give the Hokies their dream start to the spring season eight minutes into the matchup. This is Gray’s fourth goal over the span of the fall and spring, putting her one goal behind Tori Powell, the Hokies’ leading scorer.

Tech did not have long to celebrate its lead, however, as Charlotte’s junior forward Michaella Arteta responded in the fifteenth minute with an assist from freshman midfielder Kylie Morin. Arteta’s goal brought her to a tie with midfielder/forward Julia Patrum as the 49ers’ top scorer with two goals each.

Charlotte continued with its response, taking multiple shots just a minute later that ended up being blocked by the Hokies. Going into the half, Charlotte held the advantage of shots taken over Virginia Tech 5-2, but the Hokies had two more corners than the 49ers, with the scoreline staying level at 1-1.

The shot advantage did not hold for the 49ers after the first fifteen minutes of the second half. The Hokies tried to take their lead back and drew the first save of the matchup in the 51st minute from senior goalkeeper Abby Stapleton.

The second half continued to see Virginia Tech take more shots than it had in the first half, but Chugger Adair’s side was not able to find the back of the net. Fortunately for the Hokies, they found a perfect opportunity with ten minutes to go in the game.

The chance came from a foul by 49ers senior defender Brianna Morris, which resulted in a penalty kick for Gray. Stapleton denied Gray’s attempt, as well as two other shots that followed in a minute’s time, keeping the game alive for the 49ers.

It seemed that the Hokies had missed their chance to win the game as time was winding down, until junior midfielder Emmalee McCarter found redshirt sophomore forward Nicole Kozlova. The Ukranian international buried her shot in the bottom right corner of the net, breaking the tie to give the Hokies the 2-1 lead they had been looking for with just three minutes remaining.

The 49ers did not have enough time to respond as the Hokies earned the victory at Transamerica Field, their third straight victory against the 49ers.

The win is Virginia Tech’s fourth in a row in regular season play. The Hokies are off for 13 days before hosting William and Mary at Thompson Field at 5 p.m. on March 20. Charlotte will look to get a win back on Friday, March 12 at Middle Tennessee.