Virginia Tech Soccer Weekly: Homecoming Double

After a tough week of ACC action for both programs, the Hokies hosted a double-header last Friday night as part of the Homecoming festivities. While neither match came close to the fireworks (or length) of the football game the following day, Virginia Tech ended the night with two crucial victories. A crowd of 800+ at Thompson Field kicked off the night which would see the Hokies outscore their opponents 3-1.

Women’s Program

• Current Record: 10W-3L-2D overall and 2W-3L-2D in ACC play.
• Last Week’s Result: 1-0 win at home over Wake Forest. Mandy McGlynn picked up her 9th shutout of the season, continuing to break her own career record. The Hokies only allowed the Demon Deacons two shots on target all night, while landing 10 on target themselves. Grace Sklopan picked up her first goal of the season in the 60th minute, assisted by Molly Feighan who is tied for the assist lead on the team.

• Ranking: 25th. The Hokies move back into the rankings after falling out for the first time last week.
• ACC Standings: 8th place on eight points.
• Team Leaders: Goals - Nicole Kozlova (5) & Emily Gray (4); Assists - Emmalee McCarter (4) & Molly Feighan (4); Shutouts - Mandy McGlynn (9).
• Upcoming Matches This Week: There are only three matches left in the regular season, with two ACC clashes on the calendar for the coming week. First, VT hosts Boston College (10/24, 7 pm ET, ACC Network) who haven’t won in their last five matches. BC who gave up 12 goals during that stretch, scoring just five, should find it though to break through against McGlynn and the Hokie defense. Then on Sunday, Virginia Tech travels to Chapel Hill to take on a top-five UNC program. It’ll be the Hokies most difficult test for the remainder of the season, but will serve as a good barometer for where the team stands heading in the ACC tournament. The match kicks off at 3 pm ET on Sunday (10/24) and will be shown on ESPNU.

Men’s Program

• Current Record: 7W-3L-2D overall and 1W-3L-2D in ACC play.
• Last Week’s Result: 2-1 victory over Notre Dame to lift the Hokies out of last place in the division. The result marked VT’s first win in the ACC this season. The Fighting Irish struck first, taking a 1-0 lead into halftime. But goals by Jon Ingason and Jacob Labovitz secured the three points for Virginia Tech. The Hokies out shot Notre Dame 19 to 7, including 10 shots on target while allowing just 3.

• Ranking: 25th. After receiving just two votes last week, the Hokies jumped up to 56 votes on the back of the Notre Dame victory.
• ACC Standings: 5th place in the Coastal Division with five points.
• Team Leaders: Goals - Kristo Strickler (8), Jon Ingason (4) & Jacob Labovitz (4); Assists - Nick Blacklock (5) & James Kasak (4); Shutouts - Mathijs Swaneveld (3).
• Upcoming Matches This Week: It was scheduled to be a double match week for the men’s program as the regular season begins to wind down. First up on Tuesday (10/22), a home contest against non-conference opponents Longwood was planned. However, this afternoon Virginia Tech announced that the game would be postponed due to field conditions in Blacksburg. Longwood are 5-8 on the season and are coming off three straight defeats. No make up date has been announced yet. That hopeful victory for the Hokies, now turns into extra rest and practice time ahead of Friday night’s big Commonwealth Clash. Tech hosts the Cavilers, who are one of the top ranked teams in the country, but recently suffered their first defeat of the year - a 2-0 road loss to Pittsburgh. A victory this week will go a long ways in boosting VT’s chances of getting an at-large bid in the NCAA tournament. You can watch the match at 7 pm on the ACC Network.