Late Comeback Attempt by Soccer Not Enough to Best Virginia Tech

Sunday, September 11

Blacksburg, Va.

11 am

University of Northern Colorado

4-2-2, 0-0-0

Virginia Tech

6-1-1, 0-0-0

Northern Colo.

Virginia Tech

Photo by: Dean Popejoy

9/11/2022 1:52:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score

By: By Brynn Abernathy, UNCBears.com

BLACKSBURG, Va.- UNC Soccer took on a tough challenge in their match against ACC opponent Virginia Tech but were unable to get the best of the Hokies despite a late comeback attempt, falling 5-2 on Sunday afternoon.

The first half of the match was marked by consistent pressure on the Bears' defense, especially goalkeeper Kaya Lindberg, from the Hokies. The first 45 minutes of play were widely one-sided in favor of Virginia Tech, who outshot the Bears 13-3.

However, Lindberg stepped up to the challenge recording four saves on the 13 shots she faced in the half. But the Virginia Tech offense was too much for the junior goalie, finding the back of the net twice in the first half to put the Hokies up 2-0 after one period.

Halftime brought new opportunities for the Bears, but the Hokies were too much to overpower.

A free kick from Lauren Woodhull early in the second resulted in the Bears' first shot on goal of the game and provided a good scoring chance, but she was unable to get past the VT goalkeeper.

Soon after, at the 49-minute mark, and then at the 58-minute mark two more Hokies goals made it a 4-0 game.

Late in the second half of regulation, UNC proved that they might be down, but they are never out. Lauren Woodhull shifted her team's momentum, netting her fifth goal of the season in the bottom right corner on a penalty kick to get the Bears on the board.

Less than a minute later, Kalen Niedling fueled the team's comeback efforts by scoring to make it just a two-goal game.

Northern Colorado battled hard the remainder of the second half with 4 additional shots but was unable to capitalize. Another Virginia Tech goal with just five minutes of play remaining sealed the deal for the Hokies 5-2, despite the Bears' best efforts.

What They Said
"Today was a tough match with a team that has received votes for the national poll, so they're a very good team. But I'm proud of how we played," said Head Coach Tim Barrera. "We were down 2-0 at the half, and still had a chance. Then we gave up an early goal, but the players kept fighting and we got a couple back and made it 4-2, which gave us a chance. We will certainly learn some things from it and get ready for next weekend."

Game Notes

Samantha Blanchard, Lauren Woodhull, Sydney Engelkins, Britney Donais, Kalen Niedling, Hailey Collier, and Melina Faris all recorded shots in the match.
Woodhull led the Bears with three total shots, two of which were on goal.
UNC recorded a total of nine shots in the match.
Kaya Lindberg recorded seven saves on the day after facing 27 shots, 11 of which were on goal.

What's Ahead
Northern Colorado will remain on the road as they take on the Washington State Cougars on Thursday at 8 p.m. MT to close out their road stint. They will then return home to host Utah State at Jackson Stadium on September 18.

To stay up to date on all things UNC Soccer, visit UNCBears.com and follow the team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.