Hokie ClubHARRISONBURG, Va. – A strong start was abruptly stopped for Virginia Tech men's soccer on Sunday in Harrisonburg, as Duquesne scored five unanswered goals for a 5-1 victory.
For the second straight game, sophomore Ethan Ballek etched his name on the scoresheet for the Hokies. The Timnath, Colo. native's 21st-minute goal put the Hokies on the board after Tech spent the first 20 minutes of the match on the attacking prowl.
Carter Hensley caused plenty of problems for the Dukes throughout the first half on the left side of the field – with his efforts culminating in a penalty shout when he rounded the keeper and was brought down, but the ref ruled to play on.
The Hokies were able to get on the board less than ten minutes later with Ballek's goal, which was one of five first-half shots on frame for Tech.
Duquesne leveled the score in the 35th minute after a deflected free-kick resulted in a close-range shot that Connor Jordan-Hyde saved before a Duke cleaned up the rebound – sending the sides into halftime tied.
Tech struggled out of the gate in the second half, as Duquesne netted a second and third goal in the first 10 minutes of the frame. The Dukes went on to tack on a fourth and a fifth by the 76th minute to seal the match's fate.