vt shuts down highest-scoring offense, advance to wvu

By Ishan Lamba

Staff Writer

November 19, 2021

BLACKSBURG — Faster than the winds that howled Tuesday night, Khalil Dover streaked up the field to convert a Kyle McDowell cross and put the Hokies ahead by a goal with less than 20 minutes of play remaining.

That go-ahead goal would end up as the game-winner, as Virginia Tech (11-5-3, 3-4-1 ACC) would continue its dominance at home with a win over Campbell (15-4-2, 7-0-1 Big South).

The Fighting Camels boasted the most prolific offense in the country, leading the NCAA with 54 goals. However, they were without some big weapons on Tuesday, including lead goal scorer Tyler Young.

Despite his absence, Campbell looked the aggressor in the first half of action. The team ran a style of sending Jake Morris on long runs on the near wing, while having Kemy Amiche, the team assist leader, weave through the Hokie defense with touch and finesse.

In the 10th minute, Morris had the first of his chances, but failed to capitalize on the space he had in the box, shooting it high over Martino and onto the roof of the locker rooms.

Morris struck again in the 21st minute, this time on target, firing a laser straight at Ben Martino. Martino needed his entire 6-foot-6 frame to push it over the net with both hands to keep it scoreless.

Amiche nearly connected with Morris for the opening goal in the 33rd minute, as Morris had plenty of net in front of him at the back post, but he mistimed his run and was absolutely livid with his mistake.

After allowing an unmarked Camron Lennon to head a cross just over the net in the seventh minute, the Camels’ defense was on lockdown for most of the first half, shutting down chance after chance.

It took a spell of brilliance for the Hokies to break the ice, and they got it from Dover.

Dover possessed the ball on the near side of the field with defenders closing in. He switched field to Pol Monells, who threaded it into the box for Kyle McDowell. McDowell took one touch to control and forcefully sent it between keeper Edu Rodriguez and the near post to put Tech up 1-0.

Despite holding onto the lead, Tech knew adjustments had to be made, especially coming off a lengthy break in its schedule.

“We just needed to play better,” head coach Mike Brizendine mentioned. “[Campbell] are coming off a [conference] championship run and they played on Sunday so they were fresh. We’ve been sitting for a while. It was always going to be rough and it was just about weathering the storm. We were fortunate to have the lead at the half.”

“The biggest thing I think for success is energy,” Dover added. “Being off for over a week made it tough to get back into it and we needed to shake off that rust and move the ball a lot more.”

While there was an uptick to start the second half, the Hokies still weren’t as clean on the ball as they would’ve liked to be and it cost them.

After giving up seven corner kicks in the first half, the eighth one proved to be consequential in the 56th minute. On a short cross, the ball cycled its way through the defense before a cross to an unmarked Daniel Hernandez in the box gave Martino no chance to stop it.

The Fighting Camels’ equalizer took the energy out of a resilient home crowd and opened the game back up.

Campbell nearly took the lead nine minutes later, after Hernandez benefitted from two Virginia Tech defenders slipping on the slick pitch. With the ball at his feet, all alone with Martino, he pushed it just wide of the net, sinking to his knees in despair.

Tech would make the Camels pay, as Dover’s swift liner from McDowell’s feed put the Hokies ahead. For good.

As time ticked down, the Hokies remained aggressive, as Monells, Jacob Labovitz, and Sivert Haugli made sure Campbell wasn’t able to push the ball too far forward.

Campbell earned a corner with under a minute left but Martino made sure to put the dagger in the game. His save through a bundle of legs secured Tech’s ticket to the next round.

Dover and McDowell were the key men on the night for the team, both assisting the other’s goal.

Dover, who has seen a noticeable jump in playing time after the injury to Mayola Kinyua, had a positive energy about his performances.

“It’s been great,” he told 3304 Sports after the game. “It’s senior year and we’re almost done now so I’m glad to get more time. The thing with collegiate sports, especially for me, is the performance anxiety at the beginning being a big inhibitor. With more playing time, now I’m able to relax and show what I can do.”

Meanwhile, McDowell contributed not just on the score sheet, but on defense as well, finding subtle ways to curb the Campbell attack, especially players like Morris and Amiche.

“[Amiche] is very left-footed, he’s only got one foot, but that doesn’t stop him from being extremely effective,” McDowell remarked. “But you know, I pride myself on being a great one-on-one defender and I feel like I showcased that tonight. Although he had some moments, I feel like I did my job well.”

Virginia Tech now leaves the warm confines of Thompson Field for likely the last time this season, heading to Morgantown to take on the No. 11 West Virginia Mountaineers. Brizendine’s squad has been shaky on the road, going 1-4-1.

While all four losses were to ranked conference opponents, it demonstrates Tech’s struggles away from home.

“We’ve been on the road against good teams so that doesn’t change but we need to get ourselves healthy,” Brizendine said in preparation for Sunday’s matchup. “We were a little beat up in this and a lot beat up against Pitt. We gotta get through the flu and injuries and look forward to playing West Virginia.”