1 | 2 | F | |
---|---|---|---|
(23) Duke (8-5-3) | 1 | 2 | 3 |
(25) Virginia Tech (8-6-1) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
BLACKSBURG, Va. - The No. 25 Virginia Tech women’s soccer team ended its three-game unbeaten streak, falling to No. 23 Duke, 3-0, at Thompson Field. This is just the second time this season that the Hokies have been shutout, both instances have been in conference play.
Tech (8-6-1, 2-3-1 ACC) got out to an unorganized start, allowing the Blue Devils (8-5-3, 2-4-1 ACC) a few early opportunities and in the sixth minute, a miscommunication between the Tech defense and goalkeeper resulted in an own goal to award the Blue Devils the early 1-0 lead.
“Not a great night for the Hokies tonight, and the disappointment was our start,” Head Coach Kelly Cagle said about the early troubles after the game. “You can’t go down in this league, and Duke made us pay from the very beginning.”
The score remained until the halftime break and despite not being able to score a goal themselves, the Blue Devils dominated play in the half, outshooting the Hokies 7-3.
It seemed as though the mishap would be the only goal of the game until the 68th minute, when Duke’s Callie Simpkins put away her fourth goal of the year. The ball was deflected off a Tech defender’s shoulder and Simpkins controlled the loose ball, and with a clear view of the net, put the close-range shot away for the 2-0 lead.
In the 82nd minute the Blue Devils struck again, as Mollie Pathman found the back of the opposite side of the net from 10 yards out after receiving the ball from Natasha Anasi.
The score would stand for the remainder of the game, and the Blue Devils would finish the match outshooting the Hokies 12-6, 8-2 on target.
Freshman Dayle Colpitts saw 85 minutes of action in goal for Tech and made three saves in the game. Colpitts was relieved by senior Rebekah Brook, who made two saves in her five minutes of playing time. For the Blue Devils, Tara Campbell earned the win and finished the evening making two saves.
“Our team has been excellent through the past three performances, so it will be more about learning from this evening than anything else,” Coach Cagle said. “If we don’t learn and adjust, that will be the true disappointment. I think this group will though. We need to wake up tomorrow and grow as a group to ensure the future success of this season.”
The Hokies return to the pitch on Thursday, Oct. 21, when they head to Miami to play their first of two games in the state of Florida. The match will begin at 7:30 p.m.
For updates on Virginia Tech women's soccer, follow the Hokies on Twitter (@VT_WSoccer).