Competing out of conference for the final time this season, the VMI men’s soccer team was defeated by a 7-1 score to host No. 18 Virginia Tech Tuesday night at Thompson Field in Blacksburg, Virginia.
Despite VMI (0-9) sophomore Sohrab Shaikh netting his first career goal to knot the score at 1-1 early on, the Hokies (8-2-1) would go on to score four more goals before the half to grab an insurmountable 5-1 lead and eventual 7-1 victory.
Shaikh took an assist from senior Alex Hartman on a corner kick and put the ball into the net for his first goal at VMI and the Keydets’ sixth goal of the season. Tech’s Marcelo Acuna, who entered the game as the team’s leading scorer, led the Hokie attack in the opening half by earning a hat trick with three goals scored within the first 30 minutes.
Hokies Alessandro Mion and James Kasak also tallied goals before intermission while Drew Ott came off the bench to score two late goals near the end of regulation. Virginia Tech outshot the Keydets by a 22-4 margin and earned 11 corner kick opportunities on its way to victory. Shaikh finished the game with two shot attempts to lead VMI, while David Wright and Hartman were also credit with one shot apiece.
VMI goalie Robert Allen played a complete game, tallying eight saves in the loss, while Hokie keeper Ben Lundgaard was given his eighth win of the season.
The Keydets resume Southern Conference action Saturday with a home match against Mercer. Kickoff is slated for a noon start at Patchin Field.
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