Sept. 12, 2008
WINSTON-SALEM, NC - Virginia Tech's Emily Jukich scored just 14 minutes into the match and the Hokies added a pair of goals in the second half to hand No. 21 Cal State Fullerton a 3-0 loss on Friday afternoon in the opener of the 2008 Nike Invitational hosted by Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, NC.
The loss was the second straight for the Titans, who fell to 4-2 overall on the year. Virginia Tech improved to 4-2 overall with the victory.
Cal State Fullerton was held scoreless for the first time in 2008 and suffered losses in back-to-back games for the first time since the beginning of October last season.
Jukich netted her fourth goal of the year early on in the first half, blasting a shot into the left side of the net over a diving Shannon Simpson, who came out to challenge the shot.
The Hokies, who held a 17-11 advantage in shots on the day including a 12-5 advantage in the second half, kept up the pressure after the break, making the score 2-0 on a penalty kick by Stephanie Hylton in the 53rd minute. Niki King capped the scoring with her first goal of the year in the 79th minute, beating the Fullerton keeper 1-on-1 from 12 yards out for the final tally.
Senior defender Jenae Gibbens led the Titans' offense with three shots on the day (two on goal), while three other players tallied a pair of shots. Simpson was credited with four saves on the day before being replaced by freshman Margaret Dupes with just over eight minutes remaining in the match.
Virginia Tech goalkeeper Kristin Carden made five saves in preserving the shutout and was credited with an assist on King's goal late in the match for the Hokies.
Cal State Fullerton will look to rebound on Sunday morning at 10:30 am (PDT) as the Titans take on host and No. 19-ranked Wake Forest in a top-25 clash in the final match for both teams in the tournament.