Wolfpack Falls to Virginia Tech in OT of ACC Championship Opener

November 1, 2017

RALEIGH – The eighth-seeded NC State men's soccer team (8-5-4) saw its seven-match unbeaten run come to an end in the first round of the ACC Championship Wednesday evening, falling 1-0 in overtime to the ninth-seeded Virginia Tech Hokies (9-8-0).

A goal in the 92nd minute by Virginia Tech's Gaetan Roux ended the match and the Wolfpack's 212-minute streak of not conceding a goal, which stretched all the way back to a 3-2 win at No. 5/9 Louisville on October 21.

"I thought the guys did well," NC State head coach George Kiefer said following the match. "I thought they managed it well and we got to good areas. I liked our quality of services and of movement. I thought we had enough to get a little bit more, so this is a little frustrating."

The teams each recorded eight total shots, with NC State forcing Virginia Tech goalkeeper Ben Lundgaard to make four saves. The Wolfpack's Leon Krapf concluded the match with two.

NC State outshot Virginia Tech 5-2 in the second half and had three solid chances to score during the final 45 minutes of regulation. In the 67th minute, Manny Perez hit one from a sharp angle that was saved. Just one minute later, senior defender Caleb Duvernay was found by Stephen Elias camped out at the top of the 18-yard box, and struck a shot first time towards the target. Lundgaard was also equal to this attempt.

Redshirt junior Ade Taiwo missed an opportunity to dramatically win the match in the 90th minute by mere inches, striking a shot just wide of the far post from 22 yards.

Virginia Tech scored the winner one minute and 20 seconds after the beginning of the first overtime period, as Roux placed a left-footed shot from 16 yards inside the far post following passes from teammates Elias Tamburini and Emil Koho.

"It says that we are heading in the right direction," junior defender Simon Blotko said following the match when asked about the importance of hosting a first-round ACC Championship contest for the first time in program history. "It is a process. We are now waiting for some decisions. We have a good resume, and hopefully we will be able to play another game and move from there."

The Wolfpack will now await the decision of the NCAA Men's Soccer Selection Committee, which will publicly broadcast its bracket on Monday, Nov. 13 at 1 p.m. via a live video stream on NCAA.com.

#GoPack | @PackMensSoccer

Wolfpack Falls to Virginia Tech in OT of ACC Championship Opener

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Team Stats

Caleb Duvernay

Manny Perez

Stephen Elias

Ade Taiwo

Players Mentioned

Simon Blotko

Caleb Duvernay

Stephen Elias

Ade Taiwo

Players Mentioned

Simon Blotko

Caleb Duvernay

Stephen Elias

Ade Taiwo