No. 5 Pitt Defeats Virginia Tech in 2OT, 2-1

Saturday, March 27

Blacksburg, VA

6:30 PM

Pitt

11-2-0, 7-1-0

Virginia Tech

4-6-2, 3-5-2

Pittsburgh

Virginia Tech

No. 5 Pitt Defeats Virginia Tech in 2OT, 2-1

3/27/2021 11:01:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score Box Score

BLACKSBURG, Va. – For the second week in a row, the No. 5 University of Pittsburgh men's soccer team prevailed in double overtime, this time off the foot of senior forward Alexander Dexter to defeat Virginia Tech, 2-1, on the road Saturday evening.

NEWS & NOTES

The double-overtime victory was the second in as many weeks and third of the season. The Panthers defeated Syracuse 3-2 in 2OT Oct. 6, 2020 and Duke 4-3 in 2OT Mar. 19. All three double-overtime games have come on the road.
Pitt improves to 11-2 overall and a combined fall/spring 7-1 in ACC play. The 11 wins is the most in program history since 2000 (13-5). The school record for wins in a single-season is 14 set in 1995. Pitt has at least two more games scheduled this spring regular season.
The game was originally scheduled to start at 1 p.m., however lighting strikes in the nearby area forced kick-off to start at 6:30 p.m.
Sophomore Valentin Noel scored his 11^th goal of the season in the 43^rd minute. Noel entered the contest first in the ACC and second in the nation in total goals. Noel, who scored zero goals in the first three games of the spring, has scored three in the last two contests combined.
Graduate student goalkeeper Nico Campuzano had four saves for his 11^th win inside the pipes this year. Campuzano now has seven games with four or more saves. He entered the game first in the ACC in total saves and eight in the country.

"I am very proud of the resilience demonstrated from the group tonight," said head coach Jay Vidovich. "We started out with the goal in the first half but we let the game slip in the second half in a very critical moment, but they showed the mental toughness and intensity to come back in overtime and win the game. To do that on the road with all the delays that happened today I am just really proud of their mental toughness and the way they stayed in the game."

Pitt recorded three shots in the first 40 minutes compared to Virginia Tech's (6-4-2, 3-5-2 ACC) one. Noel scored the first goal of the game in the 43^rd minute, taking a pass from freshman Luke Peperak for his 11^th goal of the season. The assist for Peperak was the first point of his collegiate career. The Panthers led, 1-0, after 45 minutes.

Pitt had a 6-1 advantage in shots in the first half. Both teams had zero corner kicks.

The score remained 1-0 through 40 minutes of action in the second half. The Hokies scored the equalizing goal in the 86^th minute, as Jacob Labovitz tied the game up at 1-1. It remained tied after regulation. The shot total was flipped in the second half of play, with Virginia Tech leading in shots, 6-1.

Both teams played 10 minutes of scoreless ball in the first overtime and forced a second overtime, the second double OT game for the Panthers in as many games. Just two minutes into the second OT, senior Alexander Dexter received a pass from freshman Filip Mirkovic and scored the game-winning goal, giving Pitt a 2-1 victory. The goal was Dexter's third of the season and 14^th of his career, while the assist was Mirkovic's second of the year.

Pitt outshot the Hokies, 11-5 for the game and led in saves 4-3. Both teams registered three corner kicks.

The Panthers return home and finish out the spring regular season with two straight home contests. Pitt's next match is Saturday, April 3 against Notre Dame at 7 p.m., followed by a mid-week contest against Virginia Thursday, April 8 at 7 p.m. Both games will be live on the ACCNX.