Soccer Drops Match to No. 9 Virginia Tech 2-0
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Miami came out on the wrong end of an ACC battle with No. 9 Virginia Tech Thursday night, dropping its conference tilt with the Hokies by a final score of 2-0.
Coming off an impressive match against No. 2 Florida State last time out, Miami built upon the performance with another strong all-around showing in the finale of a four-match homestand. Despite trailing 1-0 at halftime, Miami controlled the ball for much of the second half but could not find an equalizer.
“I think we played a great game against Virginia Tech,” head coach Mary-Frances Monroe said. “We were very unfortunate not to get a few goals, especially at the end of the game and the end of the second half.”
Miami nearly equalized in the 76th minute when a strike from sophomore Cortney O’Connell from distance hit off the top of the crossbar and bounce out of bounds. A set play in the 77th minute opened up for Natalie Moik, whose strike from 25 yards out forced Kelly into a diving stop.
Against the run of play, Virginia Tech’s Kallie Peurifoy found some open space and crossed to Ellie Zoepfl, whose shot beat Lillard to the right, doubled Virginia Tech’s lead to 2-0 and thwarted Miami’s comeback attempt.
“I don’t think there’s much we need to improve on, we just need to capitalize on our opportunities and make sure some of these goals don’t end up in the back of the net,” Monroe said after the match.
Despite the result, it was Miami who opened the match with some flair. Ashley Flinn’s streaking run up the flank resulted in a successful cross to Grace Rapp, whose shot sailed wide in the first minute. Flinn was on the receiving end of a nice pass from junior Jasmine Paterson, but the Hokies steered the ball clear of danger as Miami continued to threaten.
Another solid through pass from Paterson – this one to Moik – provided a chance in the 20th minute, but Virginia Tech’s defense was up to the task.
With the rain falling in the 31st minute, Virginia Tech opened the scoring on a curling shot from Danielle King from roughly 25 yards out that found the right corner of the net. Miami had a chance to equalize in the 44th minute, but a layoff from Amy Schmidt after a long run could not find O’Connell’s foot, as the halftime whistle sounded with Miami trailing 1-0.
“I think coming out, we still fight every single night,” Flinn said of the performance. “We still come out as a team and battle as a team every single night, and always work hard.”
Monroe remained optimistic about her team’s chances with a lengthy away slate beginning this weekend.
“We take every game one at a time,” she said. “It’s hard after a game like this, thinking you could have come out with a win if you finish some of those opportunities. The thing I’ve asked our team is to come invested into training tomorrow.”
Miami opens a four-match road swing on Sunday with a matchup against Notre Dame. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. from South Bend, Ind.
“I think they’re prepared for Notre Dame, they’re excited to go up there,” Monroe said. “We beat them last year on our field when they were ranked highly, and I know we’re excited about this game.”
