Collegiate Times

After a brief lightning delay, the skies slowly cleared over the Virginia Tech Soccer Stadium as the Women?s Soccer team tied the Clemson Tigers, 0-0, last evening. The game marks the fifth ACC match in a row for Tech in a 10 game ACC campaign.

With the tie, the Hokies earn a 5-5-2 record on the season and 1-3-1 in the ACC and the Tigers move to 6-5-1 overall and 1-2-1 in the conference.

?We?ve never done anything but lost to Clemson, so as far as I?m concerned, we?ve taken a step in the right direction,? said Head Coach Kelly Cagle. ?I?m not satisfied, but (the tie) doesn?t hurt us.?

Tech and Clemson battled back-and-forth in the center of the field for the first 20 minutes of play without either team taking a shot, either goalkeeper making a save or either team earning a corner kick.

Finally, in the 25th minute, Tech Julian Johnson broke away from her defender for a look to the net. She launched the ball into the upper right corner, but Clemson?s goalkeeper Ashley Phillips made the save.

?Julian (Johnson) was a handful tonight,? Cagle said. ?If we can get numbers up there with her, we can be really dangerous.?

Johnson continued the attack for the Hokies, taking her second shot -- the second shot of the game -- on Tech?s next possession. Again, Phillips came up with the ball for the save.

?We?ve been practicing 1-v-1s and getting around players in practice? so that gave me some confidence tonight,? Johnson said. ?And, when we scouted them we saw that their backs weren?t that fast, so it was easy to get around them.?

The Hokies did not allow a single Clemson shot until the final four seconds of the half. A Tech foul afforded Clemson?s Elizabeth Jobe the shot just outside the box, but goalkeeper Mallory Soldner caught the ball in her only action of the half.

The teams ended the first half tied, 0-0.

Tech opened the second with a quick shot on goal by Kylie Stankovics. With the shot, Phillips preserved her shutout, making her third save of the game. Clemson responded with a strong drive down the field that ended with a ball off the crossbar.

After several minutes of play in the midfield, Johnson intercepted the ball and sped away from the Tigers? defense. She sent a long ball to an open Kylie Stankovics to put her one-on-one with Clemson?s Phillips. Phillips slid off the line for the save.

Neither team found the back of the net in regular play, forcing the game into overtime.

With minutes left in the second overtime period, Clemson?s Nuria Zufia found an opening and booted the ball and hit the far crossbar.

?It was a little scare there at the end,? Cagle said. ?Those last five minutes were the most unacceptable part of the night. To give the game away in the last five minutes would have been an injustice.?

Zufia?s shot of the post was the last of the evening. The game ended in a scoreless tie.

?I think we dominated tonight,? Johnson said. ?We now know we can compete with anyone in the ACC, we just need to finish.?

Tech returns to action Sunday to take on conference foe N.C. State in the Tech Soccer Stadium at 1 p.m. The Wolfpack holds a 6-4-2 record on the season, and are 1-3-0 in the ACC.