Collegiate Times

Gilda Doria (21) dribbles past Virginia Tech midfielders Ashley Meier (15) and Katie Yensen (3).

Virginia Tech’s women’s soccer team hosted the Duke Blue Devils Thursday night  — they were unable to come away with the desired result, as they lost 3-2. 

The Hokies entered the break at half holding a one-goal lead, the sole tally coming from Strongsville, OH native Ashley Meier. Meier received a cross from Jasmine Reeves and she didn’t waste much time taking a shot. It would take more than one attempt, however, to dent the scoreboard.

“Jasmine made a phenomenal run down the sideline and put a beautiful cross in,” Meier said. “I hit it with my right foot, it came back off the crossbar, and then I tried to get anything on it and it went in.”

The goal provided the Hokies with a lead they have become familiar with.

Tech led both Boston College and Maryland, their previous two opponents, by an identical score entering halftime. The Hokies ended up splitting those games, after tentative play led to two late Eagles’ goals.

The Hokies held on to this lead until the sixty-sixth minute of the game when Duke’s Laura Weinberg slipped one past the reach of Tech goalkeeper, Dayle Colpitts.

Just seven minutes later the Blue Devils gained their first lead of the night when Kaityln Kerr headed in a cross from Mollie Patham for her first of the season.

The Hokies, refusing to go quietly, wasting no time throwing their own counter punch. The Tech attack sent a corner kick into the front of the net and chaos ensued. After many deflections and failed clearing attempts by the Blue Devils, Kelsey Loupee sank the loose ball from point blank.

Coach Chugger Adair was impressed with his team’s resiliency in the late stages of the game.

“I thought we did a great job fighting back and we earned that goal and it leveled out a little bit,” Adair said.

After close calls and near goals on both sides in the final 15 minutes, including a Blue Devils shot deflecting off the top of the cross bar with nine minutes remaining, the end of regulation came with the score remaining even.

Adair used the quick recess to make a few adjustments before the final segment of play.

“We tried to adjust a few things and get positioned just better," Adair said. "I wanted to get their legs back and their confidence going since they had been working so hard.”

Duke controlled the ball for the majority of overtime and finally got the final mark, exactly 10 minutes into the extra period. 

Kim DeCesare crossed the ball into the box for Weinberg. Weinberg made one defender miss and let go what would be the final shot of the game.  Dayle Colpitts was able to get her fingertips on the ball to deflect the attempt, but it wasn’t enough to alter it's path.

Tech’s overall record drops to 10-3, with all three losses coming in the ACC play — they have two wins in conference. 

Sunday they look to continue their undefeated non-conference record when the Sooners of Oklahoma come into Blacksburg. 

“Every game matters right now, and we need a win," Meier said. "It’ll be a rebound game and we will need our best just to bounce back."

The Sooners are 4-6-4 and have not won a road game yet this season.

A version of this article appeared in the Oct 5 issue of the Collegiate Times.