Brdaric’s Brace Ends Virginia Tech Men's Soccer's 2025 Season In Opening Round of ACC Tournament

The Hokies had opportunities, but were unable to find the equalizer.

Virginia Tech Athletics

On a rainy, windy evening at SU Soccer Stadium, Syracuse edged out Virginia Tech, 2-1 in the first round of the ACC Tournament, thanks to a pair of goals by defender Tim Brdaric.

Left it all out there. pic.twitter.com/tl92p2p4li

— Virginia Tech Men’s Soccer (@HokiesMSoccer) November 6, 2025

Syracuse tested Hokies goalkeeper Sam Joseph early. In the fourth minute, midfielder Bryson Rodriguez put up a right footed shot from the edge of the box that Joseph steered aside. A few minutes later, another strike by Rodriguez was saved and deflected out to midfielder Carlos Zambrano, whose shot went wide right.

By the 15 minute mark, Syracuse comfortably dictated the pace of play. Virginia Tech tallied a long free-kick opportunity, taken by midfielder Ian Marcano; however, his shot was taken by the wind and well out of play.

Syracuse’s breakthrough came in the 22nd minute. After a foul on Noe Uwimana, Zambrano’s free kick grazed off the head of a Hokie defender, but right to a diving Brdaric who headed it past Joseph.

The Orange nearly doubled their lead just four minutes later when Rodriguez slotted a great through ball to Zambrano. His shot was barely batted by Joseph’s right foot; the ball clanked off the left post and right back into the hands of Joseph.

Tech then began to find some rhythm late in the first half. In the 37th minute, forward Declan Quill tested Syracuse’s goalkeeper Tomas Hut, who dove to punch away Quill’s shot on target.

Then, in the 41st minute, a free kick taken by Joseph was played deep into the box to defender Joao Felicio, who crossed it to Quill for a tap-in that level the match at a goal apiece.

The second half opened with both teams playing with high intensity. The first 10 minutes of the second half did not see too much opportunity for either team; both teams displayed stellar defense.

In the 60th minute, Quill gave a long throw into the box for defender Colin Beutel, whose shot was saved by Hut. Tech's sideline was clamoring for a handball to be called on one of the Syracuse defenders since Beutel’s shot hit his arm; however, the official said the contact was incidental and called for play to continue.

Two minutes later, Syracuse's Zambrano played the ball wide for midfielder Giona Leibold, who put a shot on target; however, Joseph stopped it to keep the game tied. The ball was then deflected for Sachiel Ming, who got the ball back to Leibold. Joseph stands strong, but concedes a corner to the Orange.

The Hokies initially cleared the corner, but Syracuse regained possession. Leibold, positioned just outside the left side of the box, sent in a cross that glanced off his teammate Gavin Wigg. The ball drifted to the back post, where Brdaric deflected it in to put the Orange back in front.

Following the Syracuse goal, it was now-or-never for Virginia Tech. The Hokies possessed a few opportunities due to a multitude of corners, but drama struck late in the 88th minute.

Quill received the ball inside the box and was immediately challenged by Syracuse forward Michael Acquah. The Hokies appealed for a penalty, prompting a video review. After a few minutes, the referee ruled that Acquah got to the ball first before making contact with Quill, resulting in no penalty and a Virginia Tech corner kick.

The corner was taken by Marcano, who played it high into the box, but the ball was snagged by a leaping Hut.

The Hokies did not put up any other scoring opportunities after that; the final score vs. the Orange was a 2-1 loss, eliminating Tech from the tournament.

Syracuse will now travel to NC State to face the third-seeded Wolfpack on Sunday, Nov. 9 in Raleigh, North Carolina. That game will start at 6 p.m. ET. For the Hokies, their season is over and focus now turns to the offseason and eventually, towards the 2026 campaign.