BLACKSBURG – After a 2018 campaign that saw the Hokies go 11-7-3, earn a national seed in the NCAA tournament for the second time in school history and advance to the Sweet Sixteen, the Virginia Tech men's soccer program will look to continue its recent success in 2019 as head coach Mike Brizendine unveiled the fall slate Monday morning.
"We are excited to announce another great schedule for our fans," head coach Mike Brizendine said. "We have followed our model of playing one of the best schedules in the country again this year. Every game will test our abilities and help us grow."
The squad returns nearly every piece of last year's team, plus adds a talented group of newcomers, which could set up another successful season in Blacksburg.
The program is coming off of a spring where they finished as runners up in U.S. Soccer's Spring College Program competing against other top programs from the region including; Virginia, Villanova, Pitt and Georgetown. The Hokies won their division before falling in the final to North Carolina.
In 2018, the Hokies faced the nation's tenth-toughest schedule, including nine teams that went on to make the tournament.
The senior class of Will Mejia, Brendan Moyers and James Kasak will look to cement themselves in history as the only four-time NCAA participants at Virginia Tech. That trio, along with class of 2019 midfielder Rory Slevin share the school record for most NCAA wins with five apiece.
The Hokies will once again begin the season away from home, competing in the state of California for the first time in program history at Loyola Marymount and UC Santa Barbara. Following that trip, Tech will travel to Harrisonburg, Virginia to take part in JMU's Tournament for the third consecutive season. A trip to Ivy League champion Princeton is also scheduled for late in the season in October.
A quick breakdown of the Hokies' 2019 opponents:
- Seven home games at Thompson Field against; North Carolina, Grand Canyon, Boston College, Gardner-Webb, Notre Dame, Longwood and Virginia.
- Other ACC opponents are; Louisville, Clemson, Pitt and Duke.
- Will feature matches against teams from the WCC, Big West, Patriot League, CAA, WAC, Big South, and Ivy League.
The Boston College game on Friday, September 27 will be played at 1 p.m. on ACC Network before the Hokies' football program kicks off against Duke at 7 p.m. in Lane Stadium.
The complete 2019 schedule is listed below
Preseason
Fri. Aug. 16 4:00 PM @West Virginia
Tues. Aug. 20 7:00 PM Old Dominion
Sat. Aug. 24 4:00 PM Georgetown
Regular Season
Fri. Aug. 30 7:00 PM @Loyola Marymount University
Sun. Sept. 1 7:00 PM @University of California Santa Barbara
JMU Tournament
Fri. Sept. 6 4:00 PM Loyola University Maryland
Sun. Sept. 8 4:00 PM Hofstra
Fri. Sept. 13 7:00 PM North Carolina
Tues. Sept. 17 7:00 PM Grand Canyon
Fri. Sept. 20 7:30 PM @Louisville
Fri. Sept. 27 1:00 PM Boston College
Tues. Oct. 1 7:00 PM Gardner-Webb
Sat. Oct. 5 7:00 PM @Clemson
Fri. Oct. 11 7:00 PM @Pitt
Fri. Oct. 18 5:30 PM Notre Dame
Tues. Oct. 22 7:00 PM Longwood
Fri. Oct. 25 7:00 PM Virginia
Tues. Oct. 29 7:00 PM @Princeton
Fri. Nov. 1 7:00 PM @Duke
ACC Tournament
Wed. Nov. 6 ACC First Round TBD
Sun. Nov. 10 ACC Quarterfinals TBD
Fri. Nov. 15 ACC Semifinals TBD
Sun. Nov. 17 ACC Finals TBD
NCAA Tournament
Thur. Nov. 21 1stRound TBD
Sun. Nov. 24 2ndRound TBD
Sat./Sun. Nov. 30-Dec. 1 3rdRound TBD
Fri./Sat. Dec. 6-7 Quarters TBD
Fri. Dec. 13 Semifinal TBD
Sun. Dec. 15 Finals TBD
Tech is captained by upperclassmen Jon Ingason and Kristo Strickler as well as sophomore Sivert Haugli. Strickler scored 24 total points in 2018 was named second team All-ACC for his play and first team VaSID. Ingason added four goals from his center back position and was an All-ACC Academic selection.
For a complete recap of the 2018 season, click here.
The ONLY way to see our men's soccer team this season – other than in-person – is on ACCN. Go to www.GetACCN.com to see if your provider is currently slated to carry ACCN. Don't see yours listed, contact them to demand ACCN.