Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG – The Virginia Tech men’s soccer coaching staff announced the 2016 captains on Monday. Redshirt senior Alessandro Mion, redshirt senior Andre Thomas and junior Ben Lundgaard will lead the Hokies this fall.
“I am proud to announce these three men as our leadership for the 2016 squad,” said head coach Mike Brizendine. “Mion, Thomas and Lundgaard emulate everything we look for from our program. They are all exceptional students, players and leaders. Being a captain is no easy task, but as a coaching staff we are confident that they will rise to the occasion.”
Mion will enter his third season wearing the captain band. Last season, the talented defender appeared in 11 games with 10 starts. He was fourth on the team for points, assists and shots. Mion tallied five points off two goals and one assist. In 2014, he played in all 17 matches for the Hokies and was apart of the defense that recorded seven shutouts and allowed only 22 goals. The Miami native will continue leading the team on and off the field.
Thomas, a captain for the 2014 and 2015 season, will continue to lead the team after starting in all but one game last season. The midfielder played 1515 minutes for Tech in 2015. Thomas redshirted in 2014 after tallying six points in 2013 off two goals and two assists. One of the older players on the team, Thomas brings maturity and strong leadership on and off the field.
Lundgaard will enter his first season as a captain. In 2015, he made 16 starts making 60 saves in net. The Delaware native had a .732 save percentage and a 1.373 goals against average. Lundgaard posted three shutouts and faced 178 shots. The goalkeeper had 12 starts in 2014 where he posted six shutouts.