Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG – Following the greatest four-year stretch in program history, The Virginia Tech men's soccer team continued its upward trend during the 2020 fall season.
REGULAR SEASON
Due to complications stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hokies were given a challenging schedule, playing six conference matches total against Virginia (twice), Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Louisville, and Notre Dame as part of the ACC's "North Region", with the top four teams in the North and South Regions advancing to the ACC Championship.
Tech was projected to finish fourth in the North Region, but finished the season 3-1-2, earning themselves the No. 2 seed. The three victories also marked the fourth time in five seasons that the program earned at least 3 wins in conference play.
The Hokies began the season with a daunting task. Without the ability to play in any exhibition games, Tech opened the season on the road against then, top-ranked Pitt. Though Tech fell to the Panthers 4-2, the team was impressive in their debut and used the game as rallying point for the remainder of the season.
"We go up to Pitt, who's playing unbelievable," Head Coach Mike Brizendine said. "They're the No. 1 team in the country and we show up. They had already played some games and it was our first match. I didn't know what to expect, but I thought we put in a good performance even though we lost. There were a number of positives taken from that."
After dropping the first contest of the year, Tech would finish out the regular season unbeaten. The Hokies drew both Virginia and Syracuse to 1-1 ties at Thompson Field and went on to win three consecutive ACC road matches, defeating Louisville, Notre Dame and Virginia, becoming the first ACC team to accomplish that task since joining the conference in 2004.
The unbeaten streak saw the Hokies rewarded by becoming the No. 5 team in the country.
A large portion of Tech's success this year was the implementation of a new style of play. The style focuses highly on possession and aggression, which in turn creates more scoring opportunities. The results were evident this season as Tech out shot their opponent in every match, a first in program history.
ACC Tournament
The Hokies saw their fall season end last with a 4-1 loss to them second-ranked Clemson at the 2020 ACC Championships, marking the 15th appearance all-time in the tournament.
Tech would finish the fall ranked as the No. 4 team in the country, tying the highest ranking ever, first set by the 2007 team.