(Press release)
BLACKSBURG, Va. (Sept. 9, 2026) – The East Tennessee State men’s soccer team strikes early, held on with everything they had, then discovered they had a bit more in the tank than they thought.
The ETSU men’s soccer team stunned Virginia Tech with a 3-1 victory on Wednesday, snapping a four-game losing streak to the Hokies (2-2-1) and scoring the first win ever at Virginia Tech for the Buccaneers (2-3-0). The victory is ETSU’s first win over Virginia Tech since 2011.
The Bucs opened the scoring inside the 10-minute mark when Elliot Edwards found space in front of the back line. He deked out the center back and created space for a pass to Gavin Dick, who fired a low, bouncing shot to deceive Diego Dauzier and net his first collegiate goal.
The Hokies poured on enormous pressure and finally found an equalizer in the 74th minute on the boot of Alvaro Ruiz-Mateos, but ETSU wasn’t done.
Off a Shewit Worton cross, Jaime Carrillo reeled the ball in along the end line on the left side of the 18-yard box. He turned and found an unmarked Edwards just off the penalty spot, and the sophomore buried a one-timer with his left foot to put ETSU ahead in the 87th minute. It was Edwards’s second goal in as many games.
Joe Gonzalez put the cherry on top in the final seconds when Dauzier was well out of his goal in an attempt to get numbers forward for the Hokies. The freshman launched the ball from just across the midfield line and hit the back right corner of the net for his first collegiate goal to begin the celebrations in earnest.
The Hokies held the advantage in shots at 18-11 and 7-4 in shots on goal. Noé Delmotte made six saves for ETSU in the win. Edwards now has six total points (two goals, two assists) in his last two contests, while Carrillo also picked up an assist.
The Bucs return home to face Belmont on Saturday at 6 p.m. Admission is free for all soccer matches at Summers-Taylor Stadium.
For more information on ETSU men’s soccer, go to ETSUBucs.com.