BLACKSBURG – It was another record breaking season for Head Coach Mike Brizendine and the Virginia Tech men's soccer team as the Hokies battled through the second hardest schedule in the nation, finishing 10-6-3 on the year.
The Regular Season
The Hokies kicked off the 2019 season with a road trip out west to the Golden State as they picked up victories against Loyola Marymount (2-1) and UC Santa Barbara (3-1).
Tech would use that momentum to pick up two more wins and start the season 4-0 for just the fifth time in program history (1997, 2001, 2006, 2016, 2019).
The Hokies were strong in non-conference play going 6-1in the regular season and 7-2 including their NCAA Tournament matches.
Tech finished 2-4-2 in ACC play with wins over Notre Dame and Duke. The conference as a whole had the best NCAA Tournament attendance in history with 10 teams making the field, the most bids ever for one conference in the men's soccer tournament.
ACC Tournament
After falling late to Louisville earlier in the season, Tech would get their revenge as free kick goals by Daniel Pereira and Jon Ingason sent the Hokies to the Second Round of the ACC Tournament to face Wake Forest.
Two late goals by James Kasak and Pereira would see Tech take the Demon Deacons to a 2-2 draw in OT. Wake Forest would go on to advance after defeating Tech 6-5 in penalty kicks.
NCAA Tournament
On Nov. 18, surrounded by family and friends, Tech was awarded the highest national seed in program history (10th), received a bye in the First Round and made their fourth consecutive tournament appearance, surpassing their previous program-best stretch from 2005-07.
In the Second Round, held at Thompson Field, New Hampshire came in with an RPI of 16 and had only given up seven goals all season. This made the second-round matchup one of the most challenging for that round. Tech scored the most goals in postseason history as they defeated New Hampshire 4-1 behind Strickler's brace and goals by Kasak and Camron Lennon.
The Hokies gave everything they had in their Sweet Sixteen clash against Stanford, but the Cardinal earned a 2-1 victory, ending Tech's season. Stanford went on to lose in the Final Four to the eventual National Champions.
Post Season Awards
Strickler was announced as a member of the 2019 All-ACC Second Team during the season and collected United Soccer Coaches All-South Region Third Team Honors.
The junior from Hilliard, Ohio continued his ascension into one of the top point-scorers in the conference. Starting in all 19 games, he tallied a career-high 11 goals and four game-winners, to go along with his three assists for 25 points. His 25 points on the season ranked seventh in the league, while he finished sixth in goals.
Strickler recorded three multi-goal games on the season, including the first hat trick of his career in Tech's 4-0 win against Gardner Webb (Oct. 1).
Pereira, who was named to the All-ACC Freshman Team, also collected United Soccer Coaches All-South Region Third Team Honors and was named to Top Drawer Soccer Freshmen Best XI First Team.
Pereira was a surprising piece to Tech's midfield starting all 19 games and finishing third on the team with 1, 692 minutes played. The freshman had an excellent finish to the season, picking up three goals and three assists over his final five matches. The Roanoke, Virginia native finished the season with five goals and tied for the team lead with five assists.
Senior Class
The Senior group of Will Mejia, Brendan Moyers, Emil Koho, Nikal Clarke-Smith, Marc Hoppler, Ingason, and Kasak had a phenomenal run in the maroon and orange. The class will finish with the most wins since joining the ACC (46), highest ever NCAA seed (10th), most NCAA wins (6), and most consecutive tournament appearances (4).
Hokies in the final rankings
RPI: 7
United Soccer Coaches: 13
Top Drawer Soccer: 12
Head Coach Mike Brizendine Q&A
Q: What were your takeaways from the 2019 season?
Brizendine: "I have mixed emotions when I look back at the 2019 season. I am so proud of our guys and everything that we accomplished – playing the 2nd toughest schedule in the country, collecting another 10 win season, highest RPI and seed in program history, making another run in the NCAA tournament, and setting a new program record of four straight NCAA appearances. We accomplished this while dealing with a number of injuries that really hurt us along the way. I thought if we could have been healthy all year, we could have been a higher seed and made a deeper run. That is the part that has been difficult for our staff and team. But making the Sweet Sixteen for the second year in a row is outstanding, and I'm really thankful to have been part of this with our group."
Q: What was it like to see the development of Danny Pereira, Nick Blacklock and the rest of the freshmen?
Brizendine: "I was extremely impressed with our whole freshman group. Danny [Pereira] and Nick [Blacklock] had excellent first years, and there are a number of players in that class that are going to have a serious impact on our future. I think if we can keep the guys healthy this spring, our fans are really going to enjoy watching these guys next year and beyond."
Q: You're losing the most decorated senior class in program history, what did they mean to this team and the program?
Brizendine: "I can't say enough about this group. It is tough to think about the team without them being around. Not only for what they have done for us on the field but also the impact they have had off of it. Our team culture is great, and they are a huge reason for that! They played their role as freshman and when it was their time to step up into leadership, they answered the call. I am very excited to watch them move into the next phases of their lives. They have created great life-long relationships and a skill set that will help them in their professional lives."
Q: What has you most excited about the returning group?
Brizendine: "We have some very talented returning players who have a desire to do big things. A number of the guys returning this spring have ambitions to play after their time here at Virginia Tech. I mention that because it gives them a hunger and desire to work extremely hard and to get better. They will need that as we will be focusing on everyone's weaknesses this spring, including mine as the head coach, our staff, and the team. We will all attack the things we don't like. It will not be an easy or pleasant process, but we'll make huge strides if we can work on the things that make us stumble or hold us back. We have talent, but we also have a strong will to get better. It will take all of this to have the same level of success we have been used to. I'm excited to have the guys back in January to get started."