BLACKSBURG – Sivert Haugli became the tenth Virginia Tech men's soccer player drafted on Tuesday, as he was selected with the 27th pick in the third round (No. 83 overall) by the Portland Timbers.
Haugli, a four-year starter for the Hokies, recorded three goals and an assist in his senior campaign last fall. The captain and anchor of Tech's back line, Haugli's two goals against No. 1 Marshall spurred the Hokies onto their 3-2 comeback win in August. At the midway point of 2021 season, the Norwegian was named the No. 39 best player in the country by Top Drawer Soccer.
"It's surreal to get selected in the MLS Draft," said Haugli. "I want thank everyone at VT who contributed to making the goal of getting drafted possible. I couldn't have done it without all my teammates, friends, coaches, staff and anyone who supported us in the stands or from afar. You all have meant the world to me and I thank each and every one of you for opening up this exciting new chapter of my career and life that I can't wait to get started on."
Since his arrival in Blacksburg from Oslo, Norway in 2018, Haugli was a staple in Virginia Tech's lineup in a defensive role. Haugli made 71 appearances for Virginia Tech, starting in each one.
Haugli is part of the third class in Virginia Tech men's soccer history that can say they went to the NCAA Tournament each of their four years at Tech. The Hokies went 4-2-2 in the tournament while Haugli was part of the squad, earning a national seed twice and making three Sweet Sixteen appearances.
The Hokies tallied several impressive results in four seasons with Haugli. In his senior campaign, Tech earned two ranked wins, downing No. 1 Marshall and No. 23 Louisville, with its season coming to an end after a 1-1 draw against No. 21 West Virginia (eliminated on PKs). In previous seasons, the Hokies earned wins over No. 15 Oregon State and No. 16 New Hampshire in the NCAA Tournament.
Along with success on the national level, Tech's reputation in the state landscape changed while Haugli was in Blacksburg. The Hokies went 2-2-2 in the past four seasons against in-state foe Virginia and were the only Division I school from the Commonwealth to make the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
In the summer of 2021, Haugli was a member of USL League Two side Des Moines Menace, which won the 2021 USL League Two national championship.
Haugli graduated from Virginia Tech in December of 2021 with a degree in Management.
With his selection, Haugli becomes the tenth player drafted into the MLS from Virginia Tech and the fourth in three seasons.
Last year, program history was made as Daniel Pereira was selected with the No. 1 overall pick by Austin FC. With that pick, the Venezuelan midfielder from Roanoke, Va. became the first No. 1 pick from the men's soccer program and only the third across all sports at Virginia Tech (Bruce Smith and Michael Vick). Pereira appeared in 25 matches for Austin FC in its inaugural season, starting in 18 of those contests.
Kristo Strickler was also selected in the 2021 MLS SuperDraft with the third pick in the second round by Houston Dynamo FC. That marked the second time (2008) that Tech had two players selected in the same draft.
The Hokies have had three first round draft picks: Pereira (2021), Lundgaard (2018) and Nyarko (2008).