vt breaks home drought against bc, advances to quarterfinals

Ishan Lamba

Staff Writer

November 3, 2021

BLACKSBURG — With the ball bouncing around the box, the new substitute Jack Dearie, a sophomore midfielder who has played just 40 minutes this season, found himself a mere few feet from the net.

Dearie’s foot caught a rebound and with his chip — and a lucky deflection — was all it took to send No. 8-seed Virginia Tech to its fifth-straight ACC Quarterfinals matchup, 1-0.

Coming into Wednesday’s match, the Hokies (10-4-3 , 3-4-1 ACC) had a 0-4-3 record at home against Boston College (6-7-2, 2-4-2 ACC). They were also 0-2 against the Eagles in ACC tournament play, including one loss after regulation.

In a season filled with overtime thrillers, Dearie made sure to yet another to an exhilarating season.

Regulation would end scoreless yet again, just like the earlier meeting between the teams back in October in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.

Since that matchup, the Hokies missed two key players: Sivert Haugli and Mayola Kinyua. Haugli was serving a suspension following the team’s only red card of the season in its regular season finale against Pitt. Kinyua was still hampered by an injury suffered two weeks ago against North Carolina.

It paved the way for a second start Khalil Dover start, a rarity, at forward, and Chris Nicola in the defense. Nicola, the junior, has suffered three torn ACLs in the past couple years, and after a lengthy rehab journey, he found himself making his first career start.

“It honestly meant a lot,” he told 3304 Sports after the win. “After three ACL injuries, it just means the world to represent my team and be able to go the full 90. Considering I haven’t started a game in like four years, I’m pretty happy with my performance. It was a little shaky to start with but I was lucky to have the support of my teammates.”

Since Nicola was tasked with serving as Haugli’s replacement for the match, he also talked about the big shoes he needed to fill.

“Sivert’s just been with the program for so long, played pretty much every game unless he’s injured or suspended, being captain, I mean, it’s a huge role to fill,” Nicola said. “He was talking to me before the game and during practice and just helping me out.”

The match got off to a sluggish start, and although Dover’s speed provided a burst to the offensive attack, nobody was on the receiving end of any of those crosses or passes.

It wouldn’t be until the 16th minute before either team even had a chance.

Junior forward Nick Blacklock would take a shot from distance but it was deflected away for a corner and eventually tamed by the Boston College defense.

In the 36th minute, defender Welnilton da Silva Jr. was unable to put away a chance in the box that landed at his feet, the story of the night for the Hokies.

The half would conclude with Virginia Tech comprehensively shutting out Boston College, preventing even a single shot.

Coming out of the break, Tech came out firing once again.

In the 51st minute, midfielder Kyle McDowell had a wide open lane from 25 yards out and fired a shot just above the crossbar. The Hokies were cursed by shots going just high throughout the second half.

Midfielder Conor Pugh had a chance in the 59th minute, but like McDowell, got too much air underneath the shot.

With time continuing to wind down and the Hokies consistently failing to convert opportunities, the fans were getting more restless. Tech has kept its fans on the edge of their seats throughout the season, going to five overtime games prior to this match.

Despite its best efforts, VT would enter a sixth, as the teams would have to enter another overtime period after playing 200 scoreless minutes this season.

Early in the period, Nick Blacklock was taken down in the box, and fans clamored for a foul. However, the referee wasn’t moved by the appeal.

In the 96th minute, several substitutions were made, among which was Dearie. Off a throw-in, the ball would bounce around in the box between a jumble of bodies, pushed forward by da Silva Jr. and finished off by Dearie, floating past the diving BC keeper Christian Garner.

“You know, that’s what I practice for,” Dearie said. “We’ve got Sivert who’s a senior and he’s the best center back on the team. So I’m happy with my role as being ready for when someone needs my support, I’m there to help.”

After being held scoreless for over 200 minutes by the Eagles, head coach Mike Brizendine had nothing but praise for the defense his players were up against.

“I think their defending is excellent,” Brizendine said. “Their back four is athletic and they’re committed to the cause. If you’ve got five or six grown men who are athletic, crowding the box and one who can use their hands, it’s going to be very difficult to score.”

Brizendine also felt confident in his veteran depth in the absence of star players like Haugli and Kinyua.

“These are older players, players who have played in Sweet 16s before and I’m comfortable with the depth we have on our roster,” he added.

Following their euphoric celebration at Thompson Field after the Hokies earned their sixth all-time ACC tournament victory to advance.

The team awaiting them in the quarterfinals? Pitt. A squad that delivered a beatdown on Virginia Tech last Friday. With Haugli returning from serving his red card suspension, revenge is on the Hokies' mind.

“For the first 22 minutes before we got the red card, I thought the guys were ready, I thought the game plan was good, so I’d like to see that play out,” Brizendine joked. “The good news is the prep hasn’t changed that much.”

Dearie, on the other hand, was blunt in his response about the team’s focus.

"Everyone wants a piece of them," Dearie added. "They’re the best team in our conference and they gave us one real good last Friday.”

“We’re ready to give it back.”