BLACKSBURG – Virginia Tech men's soccer head coach Mike Brizendine announced the team's 2021 schedule on Monday. The fall slate will mark the 50th season of varsity competition for the Tech men's soccer program.
On par with the Hokies' typical tough schedule, the slate features fixtures against three of the four 2020 NCAA College Cup finalists and six total teams from the 2020 NCAA Tournament field.
"Every year our team prioritizes putting together a schedule that will have us battle-tested by the end of the regular season and this year is no different," Coach Brizendine said. "I have no doubt that this will be one of the tougher schedules in the country, but our team will be prepared, and we look forward to competing soon."
Virginia Tech opens its season facing Kansas City (Aug. 26) and defending national champions Marshall (Aug. 29) at the Fairfield Inn by Marriott JMU Invitational. The Thundering Herd defeated Indiana, 1-0, in the College Cup final on May 17.
The following weekend, the Hokies venture to Raleigh, North Carolina to face two tournament teams from 2021 – UCF (Sept. 3) and Seton Hall (Sept. 6). Last time the Tech faced Seton Hall was in the Sweet Sixteen of the 2020 NCAA Tournament, where the Hokies fell on penalty kicks to the sixth-seeded Pirates.
Conference competition opens on the road against Duke (Sept. 11), then the home opener for Tech falls against Commonwealth-foes Virginia (Sep. 17).
The middle of the Hokies' season is supplemented with three non-conference matches, including a trip to face William & Mary (Sept. 21), and hosting ETSU (Sept. 28) and Davidson (Oct. 12).
Virginia Tech's final three regular season games all come up against opponents that were in the Elite Eight of the 2020 NCAA Tournament – Wake Forest (Oct. 16), North Carolina (Oct. 24), and Pitt (Oct. 29).
50th Anniversary
Virginia Tech men's soccer competed in its first season of varsity competition in 1972, making the 2021 fall season the 50th year of Hokies men's soccer. The program looks forward to announcing its plans to celebrate the occasion in the near future.
