Virginia Tech Nips SU in ACC Opener, 2-1

Friday, September 6

Blacksburg, VA

7:30 p.m.

Syracuse University

0-1-02-1-0. ACC

Virginia Tech

2-1-0, 1-0-0ACC

OT 2

Syracuse

Virginia Tech

Nick Perea scored a goal for the second straight game Friday night at Virginia Tech.

Photo by: Michael J. Okoniewski

9/6/2013 10:24:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

Score By Period	1st	2nd	OT	Final
Syracuse	1	0	0	1
Virginia Tech	0	1	1	2
Box Score Sept. 6, 2013 \| Blacksburg, Va. / Thompson Field \| Attendance: 1,581

BLACKSBURG, Va. – Nick Perea scored on a penalty kick in the 17th minute, but Virginia Tech (2-1, 1-0-0 ACC) tallied the equalizer late in the match and scored the golden goal 7:38 into overtime to hand No. 17 Syracuse (2-1-0, 0-1-0 ACC) a 2-1 loss in the ACC opener for both teams Friday, Sept. 6 at Thompson Field.

"It was a disappointing way to end," said SU head coach Ian McIntyre. "I am proud of the effort that we put into the game. We'll probably look back and realize that this one slipped away, but our effort and attitude were first-class. The young guys will learn a tremendous amount from this match."

The Orange was aggressive early, pressuring the Hokie defense from the outset. Perea initially put the Orange ahead in the 17th minute when his PK sailed past Virginia Tech goalkeeper Kyle Renfro for a 1-0 Orange lead.

SU and VT traded shots throughout the remainder of the match. Syracuse sophomore goalie Alex Bono and Tech's Renfro recorded key saves to keep it a one-goal game for most of regulation time.

The Hokies eventually tied the match in the 86th minute when Robert Alberti gathered a loose ball off of a deflected free kick and slid it past Bono. Virginia Tech recorded the only two shots of the overtime period, the latter giving the Hokies the victory as Kai Marshall scored on a Virginia Tech counterattack.

Virginia Tech outshot Syracuse, 14-10, while the Orange owned a 6-3 advantage in corner kicks for the game.

Bono finished with seven saves, one short of his career high, and Renfro made three saves to earn the win.

The Orange returns home on Monday, Sept. 9 at 7 p.m. for an intra-state battle against Manhattan at the SU Soccer Stadium. The game will be televised live in Central New York on Time Warner Cable SportsChannel.

Match Notes: Perea has recorded a point in each of SU's first three matches ... He had an assist against Colgate and goals versus both Hartwick and Virginia Tech … The game was the first overtime match for the Orange since defeating VCU in last season's NCAA Tournament, 3-2 .... Alberti's goal was the first allowed by Syracuse this season, ending the Orange's shutout streak at 265 minutes and 14 seconds ... The game marked the first ACC contest for Syracuse in any sport.