Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG, Va. – Virginia Tech men’s soccer head coach Mike Brizendine has announced that juniors David Clemens and Kyle Renfro have been named captains for the 2013 season.
“The role of a captain is to be our voice to the team in situations when they’re out in public, when they’re in the locker room, or in any situation when coaches aren't around,” Brizendine stated. “David and Kyle as our captains were an obvious choice. Both of them are leaders on the field in their training habits and their professional approach to the game. They are also good leaders off of the field.
“I’m very pleased with how they have developed, and I know they’ll take this responsibility seriously. They share the goals that the staff has, and they’ll help continue to push our team to get better as we move forward."
Last season, Clemens was the team’s leader scoring with 10 goals, the most for a Hokie since 2006 when Patrick Nyarko set the school’s single season mark with 16. The junior led the Hokies back from a two-goal deficit against NC State in the in the first round of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament. Along with cutting the Wolfpack’s lead in half during the first 45 minutes, Clemens scored the game-winner in the final 10 minutes to give Tech only its second win in the tournament in program history. With another goal in the quarterfinals against top-seeded Maryland, the junior tied Nyarko for the most career goals in the conference tournament with three.
“I’m really excited about the opportunity to lead this team and have the responsibility involved,” Clemens said. “I look forward to the challenge for my senior year and I think we have a lot of great pieces here as a team and we all look forward to reaching the potential of this team.”
Renfro has been a mainstay in goal for the Hokies since he came to Blacksburg, earning seven starts as a freshman before leading the ACC in saves each of the past two seasons while finishing in the top 11 nationally during both seasons. In 2012, the junior registered 98 saves, two shy of his career high of 100, which he set a year earlier, and the most saves recorded in a season by a Hokie keeper since Colin Kibler registered 120 stops in 2000.
“It’s a great honor and privilege that the coaches have put their trust in me,” Renfro said. “I’m extremely excited for the up coming season and looking forward to the responsibility of leading this team.”