ETSU men’s soccer faced off against the Virginia Tech Hokies inside Summer-Taylor Stadium on Oct. 4. The Bucs suffered a 2-0 loss in what was Virginia Tech’s first win at ETSU in their program’s history.
The Hokies jumped out to an early 1-0 lead when Danny Flores scored off of a penalty kick in just minute 5 of the match.
In minute 25, Tarik Pannholzer (Flensburg, Germany) tried to even things up with a goal of his own, but Hokies goalkeeper Connor Jordan-Hyde made the diving save. The ball was deflected off the goalkeeper’s hands from Pannholzer’s shot, but Kieran Richards (Hamilton, New Zealand) was in the right place and fired a shot at point blank range. Hokies’ keeper made yet another exceptional diving save. Minutes later, Gabriel Ramos (Sao Paulo, Brazil) forced another save from the opposing team’s goalkeeper.
In minute 38, Virginia Tech went up 2-0 on a low shot off the foot of Nick Blacklock just outside the 18-yard box. Mayola Kinyua recorded his second career assist on the play as well.
In the second half, the Bucs applied pressure early, and often. Their first attempt came just three minutes into the half as Richards tried to cut into the lead; however, the shot was saved. Playing until the very end, Josh Hancock (Torbay, England) had the final scoring opportunity as he headed a corner but was once again saved by the Hokies’ goalkeeper. The Bucs recorded a total of seven shots in the second half alone.
ETSU goalkeeper Cole Hunter (Mount Juliet, Tennessee) finished the night with three saves while fifth-year senior Jordan-Hyde finished his first career start with six saves of his own. The Bucs fall to 5-4-1 on the season while the Hokies improve to 2-8-1.
ETSU will travel to Spartanburg, South Carolina on Oct. 8 to face off against Wofford in a Southern Conference match, with kickoff scheduled at 7 p.m. The Bucs are 1-0 in conference play on the season this far.
