This post was written by Hatchet staff writer Mark Eisenhauer.
Men’s soccer registered its second consecutive defeat Tuesday with a 1-0 loss to Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va.
GW (3-3) was shutout for the second time this season, after an early Virginia Tech (5-3) goal by freshman Ricardo John in the second half would prove to be the game winner.
“We played so well and stayed in the game by keeping possession and getting forward, but then everything was a letdown in the final third, and that’s really something we need to address,” head coach Craig Jones said.
The Colonials, coming off a 2-1 lost to Saint Francis last Saturday, played a solid first half against a strong, former Atlantic 10 opponent in the Hokies. GW outshot Virginia Tech in the first half 8-4, and defensively did not give Virginia Tech an inch. The two teams would go into halftime knotted at zero.
In the 49th minute, the Hokies scored the only goal of the game after a Virginia Tech forward dribbled down the left side of the field and slipped a ball to John, who was right in front of the net to put it away and out of reach of junior goalkeeper Jean-Pierre van der Merwe.
After conceding the first goal, GW had seven of the next nine shots over the following 20 minutes. The Colonials totaled nine shots in the half, but only two of those shots were on goal.
The Hokies managed to fend off GW’s onslaught for the rest of the game. Van der Merwe, who received a yellow card in the second half for handling the ball outside the box, kept his team alive with seven saves on the night.
“[Virginia Tech] had some good chances and [Van de Merwe] kept us in the game, and at least gave us hope at 1-0,” Jones said. “He’s improved at coming off the line and is becoming a very good overall goalkeeper for us.”
The Colonials’ offense, despite only facing a one-goal deficit, could not seem to finish on any promising chances. Junior Ross Higgins led the team in shots with three, and starting junior forwards Johnny Forrest and Phillip McQuity each recorded two.
“We were getting into some great positions in the final third and we just lacked the quality. It’s been something that’s been hurting us in every game this year,” Jones said. “Even when we scored goals, I think we could have scored more, and against good teams you’re not going to get 10 chances, you’re going to get four.”
Before their two-game losing streak, the Colonials scored a combined eight goals over three games, compared to just two goals scored in their past two games.
“It’s a long season, and we’ve been playing really well, but we just lost two games. We have to get back at it and keep our focus and composure,” senior co-captain Andri Alexandersson.
GW’s next game will be at home Saturday against Saint Peter’s.
