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Hokies stay hot, defeat Longwood 2-0
Acuna on the score sheet again, Lundgaard earns shutout
September 26, 2017
| 1 | 2 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|
 Longwood (0-7-1) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
 Virginia Tech (5-4) | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| |||
BLACKSBURG – The Virginia Tech men’s soccer team shut out the Longwood Lancers 2-0 at Thompson Field on Tuesday night. The win was Tech’s third in succession leading into an ACC matchup this weekend when the Hokies take on the Boston College Eagles.
The Hokies (5-4) were in the ascendancy from the beginning, putting Longwood’s back line under pressure with 18 shots and earning 11 corner kicks, a season-high. Elias Tamburini and Rory Slevin each put in several crosses into the box, that the defense had to deal with.
The game was knotted at halftime, but Tech began the second half the same as the first, pushing to get on the board. It took over 50 minutes for the breakthrough to come for the Hokies.
Marcelo Acuna, the reigning ACC Offensive Player of the Week, got the scoring started in the 54th minute. He gathered a pass from Rory Slevin in the 18-yard box, taking a touch away from the defense and slotting home a finish to the bottom corner for his eighth tally of the season. Acuna has now been on target in three consecutive matches for the second time in his career.
Acuna, Kristo Strickler, Justus Kauppinen and Will Mejia led the Hokies up front, holding possession and turning shots towards frame. Mejia nearly doubled the Tech advantage when he got on the end of a cross from the wing, but his header went just over the bar.
Kauppinen scored the first goal of his career late on in the match. In the 87th minute, Strickler picked up a ball in the midfield and ran behind a defender before picking out a pass towards the goal area. Acuna let the ball run through and Kauppinen picked it up all alone at the far post, placing his shot past the keeper to give the Hokies an insurance goal.
Ben Lundgaard and the defensive unit earned their second shutout of the season, the 19th of Lundgaard’s career after making four saves during the match.
Next up
Tech travels to Newton, Mass. to take on the Boston College Eagles at 5 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 29. The game can be seen on ACC Network Extra.
For updates on Virginia Tech men's soccer, follow the Hokies on Twitter Follow @VT_MSoccer
