BLACKSBURG, Va. – Virginia Tech men’s soccer head coach Mike Brizendine announced Tuesday the full 2017 schedule, a tough slate that features 11 teams that made the 2016 NCAA Tournament.
“With the number of returners we have, we are optimistic about this season,” said Coach Brizendine. “We put together a schedule that will push us, every match, to be our best.”
The Hokies will open the season on the road against East Tennessee State (Aug. 15) before returning to Thompson Field to host ACC foe Clemson on August 19.
Tech will take on the field at the Creighton Tournament and JMU Showcase, facing Creighton, UNO, Pacific and Binghamton in consecutive weekends.
After closing out the tournament portion of the season, the Hokies will head to Durham for their first ACC road match of the season against the Duke Blue Devils on September 8th.
The strong road schedule continues with Boston College* (Sept. 29) and will include South Carolina (Oct. 3), Wake Forest* (Oct. 14), William & Mary (Oct. 18) and Pittsburgh* (Oct. 27) for the final game of the regular season..
At home, Tech will host UVA* (Sept. 15) as part of the Commonwealth Clash, Davidson (Sept. 19), Notre Dame* (Sept. 22), Longwood (Sept. 26), Louisville* (Oct. 6), and UNC* (Oct. 22).
The ACC slate will include Clemson, Notre Dame, and Louisville, who advanced to the Elite Eight, and Final Four participants UNC and Wake Forest.
In all, 11 teams that made the 2016 NCAA postseason appear on Tech’s schedule: East Tennessee State, Clemson, Creighton, Pacific, Virginia, Notre Dame, Boston College, South Carolina, Louisville, Wake Forest, and UNC. Ten of the 18 squads on the slate finished in the top 35 of the 2016 NCAA RPI, including five in the top 15 (Clemson: 1, Wake Forest: 3, UNC: 5, Louisville: 8, Norte Dame: 13).
The Hokies are coming off a 13-win season and a berth to the NCAA Elite Eight. VT posted a program-best nine shutouts, finishing the season ranked No. 8 in the NSCAA Poll, and No. 11 in the RPI. The strong campaign and postseason finish earned Brizendine VaSID Coach of the Year honors and Marcelo Acuna a place on the NSCAA All-America third team.
2017 Men's Soccer Schedule
Date | Opponent | Time | Location |
Aug 15 | at East Tennessee State | TBA | Johnson City, TN |
Aug 19 | Clemson * | TBA | Thompson Field |
Creighton Tournament | |||
Aug 25 | vs. Creighton | 7 p.m. | Omaha, Neb. |
Aug 27 | at University of Nebraska Omaha | 6 p.m. | Omaha, Neb. |
JMU Showcase | |||
Sep 1 | vs. Pacific | 5 p.m. | Harrisonburg, Va. |
Sep 3 | vs. Binghampton | Noon | Harrisonburg, Va. |
Sep 8 | at Duke * | 7 p.m. | Durham, NC |
Sep 15 | UVA * | 7 p.m. | Thompson Field |
Sep 19 | Davidson | 7 p.m. | Thompson Field |
Sep 22 | Notre Dame * | 7 p.m. | Thompson Field |
Sep 26 | Longwood | 7 p.m. | Thompson Field |
Sep 29 | at Boston College * | 5 p.m. | Newton, Mass. |
Oct 3 | at South Carolina | TBA | Columbia, SC |
Oct 6 | Louisville * | 7 p.m. | Thompson Field |
Oct 14 | at Wake Forest * | 7:30 p.m. | Winston-Salem, NC |
Oct 18 | at William & Mary | 7 p.m. | Williamsburg, VA |
Oct 22 | UNC * | 2:30 p.m. | Thompson Field |
Oct 27 | at Pittsburgh * | 7 p.m. | Pittsburgh, PA |
ACC Tournament | |||
Nov 1 | First Round | TBA | |
Nov 5 | Second Round | TBA | |
Nov 10 | Semifinals | TBA | |
Nov 12 | Finals | TBA | |
NCAA Tournament | |||
Nov 16 | First Round | TBA | |
Nov 19 | Second Round | TBA | |
Nov 25 | Sweet Sixteen | TBA | |
Dec 2 | Elite Eight | TBA | |
Dec 8 | Final Four | TBA | |
Dec 10 | Championship | TBA |