CINCINNATI, Ohio - The Virginia Tech men’s soccer team won its second straight game and took down No. 10 Xavier on the road on Sunday morning, 3-1.
In a back-and-forth contest, the Hokies were led by the stellar play of a trio of sophomores. Ricardo John, Dylan Huber and Merlin Baus each found the back of the net. Tech was able to bounce back from a slow start and an early 1-0 deficit to score three unanswered goals.
The game against Xavier was originally scheduled to be played at 7 p.m. on Saturday night but was rescheduled to a 10 a.m. start time due to inclement weather. The Hokies improved to 2-1 while Xavier moved to 2-2.
Xavier got on the board first as Chris Moore scored in the 15th minute of the contest, putting one in off a corner kick from Alex Risdale. It took 12 minutes for Tech to respond as Ricardo John beat his defender and tucked the ball away to the right side to even the game at 1-1.
Five minutes later, Dylan Huber was able to score an unassisted goal to push the Hokies into the lead on a shot from the left side of the box. Tech was able to take a 2-1 lead into halftime.
After the break, the two teams traded shots with Tech ultimately having the better of the chances. The Hokies defense held strong and didn’t allow the Musketeers a single shot on goal after the break despite five attempts.
With the game winding down, Merlin Baus put the game on ice in the 86th minute as he scored from just outside the box and made the score 3-1. For Baus, he has scored two goals and tallied two assists in Tech’s last two games.
Goalkeeper Ben Lundgaard played well in goal for the Hokies as he was able to notch three saves, all in the first half.
The Hokies outshot Xavier 12-11 for the game and 5-4 in shots on target. The Musketeers held a 7-1 edge in corner kicks. Xavier, a NCAA Third Round team last season, suffered their second straight loss. It was the second straight game and second straight win for the Hokies in Ohio as Tech knocked off Cincinnati 5-1 on Thursday evening.
The Hokies will return home as they open Atlantic Coast Conference play against No. 4 North Carolina at 7 p.m. on Friday night at Thompson Field.
For updates on Virginia Tech men's soccer, follow the Hokies on Twitter Follow @VT_MSoccer