Collegiate Times

Junior forward Stefan Hock scored his team-leading third goal of the season and junior goalkeeper Markus Aigner recorded a shutout in his first career start as the Virginia Tech men's soccer team defeated Richmond 1-0 Tuesday night in Blacksburg.

With the win, the Hokies improve to 6-1-1 (1-0 ACC) and extend their unbeaten streak to seven games. The win also marks the first shutout for Tech this season, as well as the first win when scoring less than two goals.

"I thought the effort was good," Weiss said. "Overall, I thought it was a very good performance because those are the games that can usually turn into a tie or even to a loss, so I'm happy.

In the first half, the Hokies fired six shots on goal, but Richmond goalkeeper Eric Sciocchetti answered the call and took a scoreless game into halftime.

The second half started in similar fashion to the first, with the Hokies coming out firing on all cylinders. Several chances highlighted the opening minutes of the half but came to no avail, as the score remained deadlocked.

Tech finally got on the scoreboard in the 53rd minute, thanks to a Stefan Hock goal that started from midfield. After receiving a pass on the wing from senior midfielder Georg Zehender, Hock took a few quick dribbles and fired a low shot to the far post past the Richmond keeper to give the Hokies a 1-0 lead.

"It was a great (play)," said junior forward Robert Edmans. "Georg won the ball back in midfield and gave (Hock) a great through ball, and Stefan's great in front of the goal. If he gets those kind of chances, he'll put them away all year."

The lead nearly didn't last very long, though.

Just minutes after taking the lead, Tech's defense turned the ball over to a wide open Richmond forward deep in the Hokies end. Tech goalkeeper Markus Aigner found himself caught in no man's land, but Richmond's Delano Pierre sent his shot just wide.

The chances continued for Richmond following Hock's goal as the Spiders looked to capitalize on Tech's mistakes and even up the score.

"Anytime somebody gives blindly the ball away on the top of our box, you question the mental concentration," Weiss said. "You question the decision-making at that point, at that critical juncture. The two players that did that were leaders on our team... two very reliable guys."

But the defense did just enough to hold on to the lead, and the Hokies walked away with a hard-fought victory.

The win serves as sweet revenge for Tech, who was defeated in overtime by the Spiders exactly one year earlier.

"I'm very happy to get the 1-0 result," Weiss said. "Especially from a team that took away a win last year."

The Hokies return to action Friday night against in-state conference rival Virginia - who also own a 6-1-1 record - for a crucial ACC contest in Charlottesville.