BLACKSBURG, Va. (August 21, 2016) – A penalty kick in the 89th minute by senior midfielder Candace Cephers gave the No. 17/20 Virginia Tech women’s soccer team the offensive spark it needed, as the Hokies tallied two goals in the final minutes of play to secure a 2-1 win over Mississippi State on Sunday, at Patriots Point, in Charleston, South Carolina.

With the teams locked in a scoreless battle in the 82nd minute, MSU’s MaKayla Waldner connected on her best chance of the game to give the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead with eight minutes remaining in the match. Waldner played the ball off Tech’s freshman goalkeeper Mandy McGlynn hands, chasing the rebound from the previous shot on-goal to put the Bulldogs on the board first.

Tech (2-0) emphatically responded seven minutes later, as they scored back-to-back goals in 87 seconds to secure the victory, handing Mississippi State (1-1) its first loss of the season.

The Hokies were given a penalty kick in the 89th minute after junior Alani Johnson went down inside the box. A native of Aurora, Colorado, Cephers made the most of the awarded penalty kick, beating MSU’s goalkeeper Tanya De Souza to tie the match at one-all.

If that wasn’t enough, Cephers scored yet again in the 90th minute. Redshirt-freshman defender Kelsey Irwin sent a free kick in Cephers’ direction. With the clock winding down, Cephers made the connection, heading the ball into the left corner of the net for the go-ahead score.

Today’s game winner marked Cepher’s first of the season and fifth of her career.

HEAD COACH CHUGGER ADAIR QUOTES

“We came out flat from the start. Overall, I am disappointed with our effort. We played a very difficult team today. They battled, and they played smart. They wanted it more than we did, and that was a problem for us.”

“She (Candace Cephers) is very dangerous. She got her head on the ball and it dropped into the net. I think they were a little bit stunned after the penalty kick. We have to work on the consistency of our game, and we have to keep our focus going through the fall and into this weekend of play at home.”

NOTES

Today marked the first meeting between Tech and Mississippi State … With the win, the Hokies now hold a 1-0 all-time series advantage … Johnson paced the field with three shots on-goal, while Cephers logged two shots on the day, placing both shots on-goal … Senior Murielle Tiernan and junior Madi Conyers each tallied one shot on-goal … Tech finished with a 12-9 edge in shots, and the Bulldogs earned a 3-1 edge in corner kicks … McGlynn made three saves in the win, while Souza stopped five.

NEXT UP

The Hokies return to Thompson Field for their home opener against East Carolina on Friday, Aug. 26. First kick set for 7 p.m.

FOLLOW ALONG

Fans can follow all the action during each match of the 2016 season by following the 2016 squad on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.