No. 15 Virginia Tech comes up short at No. 1 Notre Dame

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The No. 15 Virginia Tech men’s soccer team (4-1-0) fell short to the No. 1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (5-0-0) 1-4 Friday night. Despite outshooting the Irish 15-14, Tech was unable to connect and find the goals necessary to claim the win.

The Fighting Irish came out strong in the first half to score two goals. Notre Dame struck gold off a deflection shot in the 13th minute and a penalty kick in the 16th minute. The rest of the half was a defensive battle ending in four shots a piece.

The Hokies came out swinging in the second half taking five unanswered shots right off the bat. As the momentum picked up, so did the rain. Tech defense picked up their coverage in the second half, controlling Notre Dame’s advances. The Irish got their third and fourth goal of the night late in the second half at the 77th and 82nd minutes, respectively. Som Essome saw the back of the net off a penalty kick in the 85th minute.

The Hokies return home for two games on Thompson Field. Tech host Longwood on Sept. 13 and NC State on Sept. 16 for the ACC home opener. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. and 6 p.m., respectively.

Head Coach Mike Brizendine Quotes

“First, I would like to compliment Bobby Clark and his team. There is a reason that they are number one in the country right now. I think that their team did a great job on the night.”

-“With that being said, I thought that it was unfortunate that Notre Dame was able to get their first two goals off two shots. I thought that we were very good in the first 20 minutes of the 2nd half and were unfortunate not to find a goal. When you are playing at this level, you have to capitalize on every opportunity”

-“The key now is to learn from tonight and use it as we prepare for our next game.”

Notes

-First PK goal scored against Ben Lundgaard this season

-Shots tied 4-4 at the half

-Shots VT 15-14 at the end

-Attendance: 1, 824

-Irish’s Aubrey’s first career hat trick

-VT is 2-2 on PKs

-Lundgaard added four saves for a total of 16

-Marcelo Acuna leads the Hokies with 20 shots

-Morten Lamps with two saves

-VT led corner kicks 7-3