Men’s soccer wraps up nonconference play with double-overtime tie against Charlotte
Marcelo Acuna (11) moves the ball towards the goal at Thompson Field.
Chris Zaboji / Collegiate Times
No. 23 Virginia Tech tied the No. 9 Charlotte 49ers in double overtime on Tuesday, the eighth shutout of the season for the Hokies.
This game brings an end to non-conference play, during which the Hokies did not see a loss and included an upset of then No. 18 Ohio State. Virginia Tech defeated the Buckeyes that night 1–0 in double overtime, but could not seem to connect on similar chances tonight.
The biggest example of the night was a free kick that hooked just a bit too far and missed going in by inches. The kick was the best scoring opportunity for not only the Hokies, but also the game.
Virginia Tech outshot Charlotte on the night 9–7 and though the Hokies had fewer corner kicks, they had the only two in the overtime periods.
“I thought we had some very good chances; I’m disappointed we didn’t score on any of those,” said head coach Mike Brizendine. “But look, those guys went to Clemson and beat them. It’s a game of fortunate bounces.”
Although the Hokies scored only one goal in the last three games combined, Brizendine does not see this as an area of concern.
“I’d be concerned if we weren’t getting opportunities, but we outshot that group and a lot of those guys (other teams). It’s getting tougher: we played the No. 10 team (Syracuse), tonight the No. 9 team (in Charlotte), and Saturday we play the No. 3 team (North Carolina).”
While the Hokies’ offense failed to score, their defense play has remained stellar. This game marks the second straight shutout at home against tough competition and ties a school record with eight on the season.
“I’m proud we got a shutout, that’s a very good sign. All of them are playing well. They work good and take pride in their defending,” Brizendine said. “When you have a team that is one talented, two athletic and three they take pride in what they’re doing, it leads to good things.”
One of those good things is simply seeing the progress the Virginia Tech team has made. The team fell to the 49ers 5–0 last year and has more wins in any season since 2007–2008.
Charlotte is 8–2–1 on the season and Virginia Tech now sits 9–3–3 on the season and is 2–3–1 versus ranked teams on the season.
“We’re playing some of the best teams in the country. One or two little things (make) a difference," said Brizendine.
No. 23 Virginia Tech will travel to Chapel Hill to play No. 3 North Carolina on Saturday, Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. If the defense continues to play lights out and the offense can capitalize on its offensive chances, the Hokies will look to win their third game against ranked teams.