Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG – The Virginia Tech women's soccer program is unveiling its 2020 signing class in a different way. Rather than announcing all of them and their accomplishments in one release, the Hokies will highlight each new signee individually, which includes a brief "Get to Know" Q&A, until all of the incoming freshmen are announced.
After a break for the holiday, the team has two more players to introduce and starts with Virginia native Ava Veith, a 5-foot-9 outside back from Williamsburg. She attended Bruton High School and is considering majoring in systems biology when she arrives at Tech in a few weeks.
Veith earned a pair of varsity letters under coach William Spear at Bruton as she was named the team's MVP as a freshman and sophomore. She holds the school's scoring record and was an all-conference and all-region first team selection in 2018, while also earning Class 2 Second Team all-state honors. Veith also competed on the Panthers' track and cross country teams, earning several letters and was a state qualifier in the mile and 800 meters.
Club experience for Veith includes six years playing for Aaron Brunner and the Richmond United ECNL, a team that was a national playoff qualifier the past two years. She also has experience with U.S. Soccer National Training Centers and was selected for a trip to England with the Wolverhampton Wanderers (Wolves Premier League) Academy and a national camp in Georgia. She also played for the Virginia Legacy CCL Pro 23 team last summer, scoring a couple goals and setting up a few more.
"Ava is a left-sided player, she can play up and down the left side," Tech head coach Chugger Adair said. "She can play left back, left midfield or left forward as needed. She's really come on in the recruiting process over the last couple of years, as she's grown in size, strength and power.
"We're looking at her to come in and compete on the left side and use her ability to get service going forward from that left flank. She's been able to score goals and create goals for her club team in Richmond. We're looking forward to her coming in with her workman mentality and adding that to our culture."
GET TO KNOW - Ava
Name: Ava Veith
Position: Defender
Height: 5-foot-9
Hometown: Williamsburg, Virginia
High School: Bruton High School
Other Schools considered: Columbia, Liberty, Wake Forest, Clemson
Why did you choose Tech? I chose Tech because of the environment. The rural and mountainous setting in Blacksburg is ideal for me, as I am not the biggest fan of cities. I think the campus is absolutely beautiful, and it really feels like home whenever I visit.
What was your favorite thing about your visit? My favorite thing about the visit was being able to view Lane Stadium from the suite, and experiencing a Virginia Tech football game for the first time.
What do you like about the Tech soccer program? I think it offers unbelievable support for student-athletes, and I love that it's not too far away from home. I am also looking forward to the strong competition the ACC has to offer.
What are your soccer strengths? My strengths are crossing in the ball from wide areas, playing long balls over the defense and making forward runs from an outside back position.
Who is your favorite pro player (why)? My favorite player is Lionel Messi because despite being told he was 'too short' and 'not good enough' growing up, he used the criticism as motivation to become the best player in the world. I like how he humbly proves everyone wrong through his actions on the field rather than his words. He is also left-footed like me.
What is your most memorable soccer moment (why)? When we won 3-2 in double overtime in a high school game my sophomore year. It was memorable for me because I scored all three of our goals and we were playing against our rivals on their senior night.
What do you think you will major in? Systems biology because I think the process in which our body functions to keep us alive is fascinating.
What's one thing you'd want Tech fans to know about you? When I'm not playing soccer, I enjoy fishing.
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