virginia tech gets back on track, remains undefeated at home

Kolbjorn Bergstrom

Staff Writer

October 21, 2021

BLACKSBURG — The second half received a burst of energy after a cheeky shot from sophomore Connor Pugh, as No. 13 Virginia Tech put the pressure onto Winthrop. A second corner kick opportunity came to Virginia Tech 10 minutes later, and the chance was given to forward Nick Blacklock.

Blacklock sent the ball in, and senior Jacob Labovitz sent his header back across the frame of the goal, giving his side a 2-0 lead. Not only did it give the Hokies a needed cushion, but it also brought Labovitz’s team-leading goal total up to eight on the season.

Heading into Wednesday night, Tech (9-2-3) was looking to bounce back from a loss to Wake Forest (9-4-1). And it would certainly be the time to do it, as Winthrop (6-6) was also coming off a loss in its last match.

The Hokies certainly weren’t taking it for granted, as they dominated throughout the first half. The ball rarely passed the midfield line into their defensive half and they were calm moving the ball, with a lot of solid crosses to test the Eagles’ goalkeeper Sam Bell.

Two solid opportunities came and went for Virginia Tech, the first coming off a cross into the box. The delivery didn’t initially work out, but the ball pinballed around the box, falling to the head of Blacklock, and even though his header was right in front of the goal, Bell pulled off an impressive reflex save.

The second opportunity fell onto the confident head of Pugh a few minutes later. His header shot towards the goal like a laser and rattled off the right post. It marked the fifth shot Virginia Tech had in the first 18 minutes of the match.

It would take 12 more minutes for the first domino to fall in the match, as senior Kyle McDowell had a great throw-in opportunity. McDowell catapulted the ball into the box, and after two bounces of not being touched, defender Welnilton Da Silva Jr. lifted his left leg into the air and buried his shot into the net, giving Virginia Tech the 1-0 lead.

“When Kyle [McDowell] threw the ball I was hoping for Sivert [Haugli] to flick it,” Da Silva said after the game. “I saw the ball going away from me and I just tried to hit it and I was happy to be scoring.”

As the first half played out, it became evident that Winthrop was not a team to sleep on, as it was able to look electric with the opportunities it was given, including two chances that came late in the first half.

The first came from a free kick that was in perfect position for Winthrop, as it was about 25 yards out and centered on the net. Midfielder Bryant Jimenez-Pierce lined up to take the kick, perfectly curling it towards the bottom left corner of the net, but freshman Ben Martino came up with an incredible diving save to deny what would have surely been a goal.

Jimenez-Pierce found another opportunity for Winthrop five minutes later inside the box, he tried to put his shot bottom left again, but Martino was able to make a second great save, which would see the end of the half.

“I was sort of just playing in the dark,” Martino said about his reflex saves. “I’m not really thinking about trying to do anything spectacular, just wanna do what’s asked of me and hopefully help the team get the three points [in the ACC standings].”

The second half didn’t have the same pace as the first, as it seemed to go in phases of energy between the two sides. Though the pace was lacking, the goals were not.

Two more goals would be found in the second half, with the first coming to Labovitz off a cross from Blacklock. The second would come with less than 15 minutes left in the matchup.

It would be another excellent delivery from McDowell, this time a cross that fell to the feet of senior Andrew Weber at the back post. Weber laid the ball off to Pugh, and he struck the ball with confidence, giving Virginia Tech a commanding 3-0 lead.

“I mean, honestly, I thought Weber was gonna shoot it, so it was a blessing when he gave it back to me,” Pugh said.“I had the time to take the touch and just place it, which was nice, but the ball was beautiful from Kyle, and the setback from [Weber] was perfect.”

The final goal gave Virginia Tech a 3-0 win, and it marked the fourth clean sheet head coach Mike Brizendine’s side has earned in six matches, with Brizendine calling it “imperative to what we’re trying to do.”

“It gives us a lot of confidence because we know we are going to get so many chances going forward,” Martino said about the Hokies’ string of clean sheets. “So as long as we can get things sorted out in the back and keep getting these clean sheets, keep having ‘em coming, and no silly mistakes we know we can bury any team.”

Virginia Tech maintained its undefeated record at Thompson Field (6-0-0) and will look to continue that form in its last home game in the regular season against North Carolina (8-5-1) this Sunday at 7 p.m.

“You need these games for that purpose,” Brizendine said about the clean sheet. “We’re getting [Winthrop’s] best effort, cause it’s their chance to beat an ACC team. … I think our group has done a good job with that, it’s something that when you look at the film we won’t critique that much because we know what it’s like, and we’re glad to get the victory.”