BLACKSBURG, Va. - The Richmond men's soccer team held the advantage in shots and dominated the second half of the contest, but the Spiders could not overcome an early goal in Sunday's 1-0 setback to Virginia Tech in their second and final match at the Hokie Invitational in Blacksburg.
"Even in defeat this was another positive game as we could continue to build higher expectations and accountability for our performances," said interim head coach Leigh Cowlishaw. "We gave Virginia Tech too much respect early and paid the price. We dominated the second half and deserve more from the game."
Virginia Tech (1-1-0) struck early on Sunday, as junior midfielder David Clemens took sophomore mid Ben Strong's pass from the right side at the top of the six and slipped it past Spider goalkeeper Thomas Hand (Moorestown, N.J./Moorestown) to grant the Hokies the match's golden goal.
After lifting the Spiders (1-1-0) to victory in Friday's win over No. 19 James Madison, sophomore forward Timmy Albright (Richmond, Va./Collegiate School) once again led Richmond with a match-high four shots on the afternoon, including a pair of strikes on goal. Sophomore defender Shane Powell (Wilmington, Del./Providence College) finished with three shots in the match, while rookie Mitch Reavis (Clarendon Hills, Ill./Hinsdale Central) added two in the loss.
The Spiders held a 15-10 advantage in shots and matched the Hokies with five corner kicks. Richmond dominated the second half of the contest, outshooting Virginia Tech, 8-4, and coming away with a 4-0 edge in corner kicks.
Hand (1-1-0) secured two saves in Sunday's tournament-finale, while the Spider side forced Hokie keeper Kyle Renfro to make six stops.
Reavis joined junior midfielder Michael Forsyth (Cary, N.C./Apex) and sophomore defender Nick Butler (Bedminster, N.J./Bernards) on the Hilton Garden Inn Hokie Invitational All-Tournament Team.
Richmond remains on the road this coming week when it travels down I-64 to Williamsburg for a matchup with William and Mary on Saturday at 7 p.m.
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RICHMOND AT VIRGINIA TECH
Thompson Field - Blacksburg, Va.
Aug. 26, 2012
Richmond 0 0 - 0
Virginia Tech 1 0 - 1
Shots: UR 7 8 - 15, VT 6 4 -
10
Corner Kicks: UR
1 4 - 5, VT - 5 0 - 5
Goalkeepers: UR: Hand - 2 SV, 1 GA, 90:00, L; VT: Renfro - 6 SV, 0 GA, 90:00, W
Fouls: UR 6, VT 12
