Virginia tech unable to upset no. 8 notre dame despite strong effort

By Bradley Winterling

Staff Writer

October 14, 2023

BLACKSBURG – An exceptional defensive performance wasn’t enough for Virginia Tech as it failed to hold off No. 8 Notre Dame Friday night in an agonizing 1-0 loss. The Hokies (3-5-4) outplayed the Fighting Irish (9-1-3) for the greater portion of the match aside from one goal scored, giving Notre Dame the victory over Tech. 

The Hokies applied pressure on Notre Dame’s defense to begin the match, with six shots in the first 17 minutes of the game. Unfortunately for Tech, it was unable to capitalize on those chances, which became the theme of the evening. 

“Super frustrating man,” Tech defender William Cardona said. “That's what we aim for — just getting opportunities and trying to put them in the back of the net. … Next game we just gotta follow through and put them in.”

The difference in the match was Matthew Roou’s score in the 72nd minute. The shot came off a crafty throw-in from the right corner by Kyle Genenbacher, essentially acting as a corner kick. The ball was then headed by Mitch Ferguson which led to an open shot from just a yard or two out by Roou. 

Tech had 14 shots compared to the Irish’s 6, but could not find a way to capitalize on its opportunities. Only 3 of the Hokies’ 14 attempts were on target. 

“We keep getting in these situations where it's like, ‘we’re right there,’ and then these small things happen,” Tech head coach Mike Brizendine said. “I think what we need to do is learn how to win. I think it’s coming with this group. We’re just not there, and we're not close to reaching the potential with this team. I hope that we can get there through the end of the season.”

Despite the loss, the Hokies controlled the game against the No. 8 team in the nation for almost the entire match, showing signs of encouragement for the remainder of the year.

“It gives us a lot of confidence,” Cardona said. “Even though we lost 1-0, obviously the quality is there in our team and the effort is there. We just have to keep pushing forward.

“The good thing is we’re getting opportunities, and next game we just gotta follow through and put them in.”

The Hokies haven’t had the season they were hoping for up to this point, but many of their matches have been winnable in the later stages, even against ranked opponents. Much of that success has come from the young core on the team, with 10 of Tech’s 14 goals this season having been netted by underclassmen — a glimmer of hope for the struggling team.

“To give you a silver lining, I return 98% of this team,” Brizendine said. “It's not even that I return them, I return most of the guys for a couple years. So I think the future is extremely bright.

“I just hate going through these growing pains right now. I'm used to winning. Our teams are used to winning, so it's frustrating.”