During Boston College men’s soccer’s match against Virginia Tech on Friday night, the most entertaining moment turned out to be a first-half light malfunction which resulted in darkness around Thompson Field in Blacksburg, Va. That was until the 77th minute, when the lights flickered back on for the home team and Virginia Tech freshman Noe Uwimana tallied a mesmerizing goal which handed the Hokies their first home ACC win since 2021.
In a relatively stale affair up until that point, BC (2–3–3, 0–2–1 Atlantic Coast) and Virginia Tech (2–2–3, 2–0–1) struggled to come up with dangerous chances early. Both sides used their physicality to try to gain an advantage, evidenced by the 23 fouls combined between the two squads. BC proved to be the more aggressive of the two—picking up four yellow cards for the second game in a row—but couldn’t overcome the Hokies in a 1–0 road loss.
The match began with Virginia Tech dominating the ball and consistently crossing it into the penalty box to try to find an early goal. The Eagles’ defense, anchored by sophomore centerback CJ Williams, kept the Hokies off the scoreboard, however. Redshirt junior goalkeeper Brennan Klein, who missed Tuesday’s match against Boston University with an injury, helped assist Williams’ efforts all game.
BC’s first legitimate chance featured in the 16th minute, when freshman winger Xavier O’Neil sprinted on a dazzling run and laid the ball off to Drew Serafino. Serafino’s shot in the box was subsequently blocked by a Hokie defender.
The Eagles next chance brewed in the 27th minute, when O’Neil received the ball on the wing again and earned a foul in a dangerous position for Virginia Tech. Ted Cargill took the ensuing free kick, but again, the Hokies cleared the ball from their own penalty box.
The closest the Eagles came to scoring all night came in the 43th minute when O’Neil once again cut in on his favored left boot and attempted a curling shot on the edge of the box, which tethered just inches wide of the goalpost. Although O’Neil’s efforts did not result in a goal in the match, the rookie looked like a real threat all night for the Eagles.
BC limited Virginia Tech’s chances in the first half, as the Eagles took a 6–2 lead on shots going into the halftime break.
The second half showcased more of the same, lacking in chances and goal threat. That was until Uwimana shocked the Eagles with a long-range goal out of nowhere. There was nothing Brennan Klein could do about the goal, as Uwimana perfectly placed the screamer into the top-left corner.
BC found itself with one last chance to gain a draw in the match when the ball fell to sophomore Augustine Boadi in the box. Boadi, however, placed his shot to the left of the net.
The Eagles ended the night with zero shots on goal, compared to Virginia Tech’s three, in the one-goal defeat.
