2020 Virginia Tech Hokies men's soccer team

The 2020 Virginia Tech Hokies men's soccer team represented Virginia Tech during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's soccer season. It was the 49th season of the University fielding a program. The Hokies played their home games at Sandra D. Thompson Field in Blacksburg, Virginia. The Hokies were led by twelfth-year head coach Mike Brizendine.

2020 Virginia Tech Hokies men's soccer
NCAA Tournament, Third Round
ConferenceAtlantic Coast Conference
U. Soc. Coaches pollNo. 15
TopDrawerSoccer.comNo. 16
Record7–6–4 (5–5–2 ACC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Patrick McSorley (11th season)
  • Josh Dunn (2nd season)
Home stadiumThompson Field
Seasons
← 2019
2021 →
2020 ACC men's fall soccer standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
North
No. 2 Pittsburgh 4 0 0 7 1 0
No. 4 Virginia Tech 3 1 2 3 2 2
Notre Dame 3 2 0 5 4 0
Virginia 2 3 1 3 4 1
Louisville 1 4 1 1 6 1
Syracuse 0 3 2 0 3 2
South
No. 3 Wake Forest 5 1 0 7 2 0
North Carolina 3 1 2 3 2 2
No. 1 Clemson 3 2 1 8 2 1
Duke 2 4 0 2 6 0
NC State 0 5 1 0 6 1
Boston College 0 0 0 0 0 0
As of March 9, 2021
Rankings from United Soccer Coaches
Source:The ACC
Note: † Due to COVID-19, Boston College suspended the Fall 2020 men's soccer season; begins play in March.
2020 ACC men's spring soccer standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Atlantic
No. 7 Clemson 4 1 1 14 3 3
Louisville 4 2 0 5 8 1
No. 6 Wake Forest + 3 0 2 13 3 2
NC State 1 2 3 3 8 4
Boston College * 1 3 1 1 3 1
Syracuse 0 3 1 2 7 4
Coastal
No. 3 Pittsburgh + 5 1 0 16 4 0
No. 4 North Carolina + 4 1 1 9 5 4
Duke 2 3 1 3 10 3
Virginia 2 4 0 7 8 1
No. 15 Virginia Tech + 2 4 0 7 6 4
Notre Dame 1 5 0 8 9 0
As of May 18, 2021
Rankings from United Soccer Coaches
Source:The ACC
Note: *- Due to COVID-19, Boston College suspended the Fall 2020 men's soccer season; began play in March.

The teams' 2020 season was significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which curtailed the fall season and caused the NCAA Tournament to be played in spring 2021. The ACC was one of the only two conferences in men's soccer to play in the fall of 2020. The ACC also held a mini-season during the spring of 2021.

The Hokies finished the fall season 3–2–2 and 3–1–2 in ACC play to finish in second place in the North Division. In the ACC Tournament they lost to Clemson in the Quarterfinals. They finished the spring season 4–4–2 and 2–4–0 in ACC play, to finish in fifth place in the Coastal Division. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. They defeated Oregon State in the Second Round before losing to the number six seed Seton Hall in the Third Round to end their season.

Previous season

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The 2019 Virginia Tech men's soccer team finished the season with a 10–6–3 overall record and a 2–4–2 ACC record. The Hokies were seeded eleventh–overall in the 2019 ACC Men's Soccer Tournament. The Hokies won their first round match up against Louisville, but fell to Wake Forest in the quarterfinals. The Hokies earned an at-large bid into the 2019 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament. As the tenth overall seed Virginia Tech defeated New Hampshire in the second round, before losing to Stanford in the third round.

Preseason

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Player movement

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Players leaving

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Name Number Pos. Height Year Hometown Reason for departure
Will Mejia 2 DF 6'2"   Senior Falls Church, VA Graduated
Jon Ingason 5 DF 6'1" Senior Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland Graduated
Brendan Moyers 6 FW 6'0" Senior Earlysville, VA Graduated
James Kasak 8 FW 5'9" Senior Stuarts Draft, VA Declared for 2020 MLS SuperDraft, drafted 84th overall by Sporting Kansas City
Nikal Clarke-Smith 13 DF 6'2" Senior Toronto, Canada Graduated
Marc Hoppler 17 DF 6'0" Senior Lucerne, Switzerland Graduated

Players arriving

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Name Nat. Hometown Club TDS Rating
Emmanuel Ameres
MF
  USA Palmetto, FL Clearwater Chargers      [1]
Welnilton Da Silva
DF
  BRA Para, Brazil SIMA      [2]
Jack Dearie
DF
  USA Ponta Vedra Beach, FL Beachside Academy      [3]
Cameron Joice
FW
  AUS Newcastle, Australia Lake Ginninderra Secondary College      [4]
Oryem Kilama
FW
  USA Wilmington, DE Delaware FC      [5]
Ethan Stevenson
FW
  USA Clover, SC Charlotte Independence SC      [6]

Transfers

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Name Nat. No. Pos. Height Year Hometown Notes
Mayola Kinua   GHA 8 MF 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) Sophomore Elk Creek, VA Transferred from Appalachian State

Preseason rankings

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ACC Media Poll

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The ACC men's soccer media poll was released on September 8, 2020. Virginia Tech was picked to finish third in the ACC North Division.[7]

Coaches' Poll
Predicted finish Team Points
1 Virginia 59 (9)
2 Pitt 44 (2)
3 Virginia Tech 35
4 Syracuse 30
5 Louisville 29
6 Notre Dame 28

Preseason honors and awards

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All-ACC Preseason Team
  • Kristo Strickler, Senior, Forward

Squad

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Roster

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Updated: December 10, 2020[8]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
0 GK   USA Connor Jordan-Hyde
1 GK   NED Mathijs Swaneveld
2 DF   USA Jack Dearie
3 DF   NOR Sivert Haugli
4 MF   USA Kyle Stenzel
5 DF   BRA Welnilton da Silva II
6 MF   AUS Camron Joice
7 FW   USA Oreyem Kilama
8 MF   GHA Mayola Kinyua
9 MF   VEN Daniel Pereira
10 MF   USA Chris Little
11 FW   USA Daniel Starr
12 MF   USA Andrew Weber
14 FW   USA Kahlil Dover
15 MF   USA Kristo Strickler
No. Pos. Nation Player
16 MF   ISL Birkir Eythorsson
17 FW   USA Nick Backlock
18 FW   USA Jacob Labovitz
19 DF   USA Nathan Durst
20 MF   USA Landon Ameres
21 MF   USA Camron Lennon
22 DF   USA Mason McClendon
23 DF   USA J.P. Pascarella
24 MF   ENG Kyle McDowell
25 GK   USA Matt Zambetti
26 DF   USA Chris Nicola
27 GK   USA Hayden Kickbush
28 DF   USA Zane Bubb
30 FW   GHA Alex Adjetey
31 FW   GER Jakob Bluemler

Team management

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Position Staff
Athletic Director Whit Babcock
Head Coach Mike Brizendine
Assistant Coach Patrick McSorley
Assistant Coach Josh Dunn

Schedule

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Source:[9][10]

Date
Time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (Attendance)
City, State
Fall Regular season
October 10, 2020
7:00 p.m.
at No. 2 Pittsburgh L 2–4  0–1–0
(0–1–0)
Ambrose Urbanic Field (55)
Pittsburgh, PA
October 14, 2020
6:00 p.m.
No. 5 Virginia
Commonwealth Clash
T 1–1 2OT 0–1–1
(0–1–1)
Thompson Field (130)
Blacksburg, VA
October 24, 2020
6:30 p.m.
Syracuse T 1–1 2OT 0–1–2
(0–1–2)
Thompson Field (101)
Blacksburg, VA
October 30, 2020
7:00 p.m.
at Louisville W 2–1 OT 1–1–2
(1–1–2)
Lynn Stadium (212)
Louisville, KY
November 2, 2020
1:00 p.m.
Notre Dame W 1–0  2–1–2
(2–1–2)
Alumni Stadium (0)
South Bend, IN
November 6, 2020
7:00 p.m.
Virginia
Commonwealth Clash
W 1–0  3–1–2
(3–1–2)
Klöckner Stadium
Charlottesville, VA
ACC Tournament
November 15, 2020
Noon
(N2) No. 5 vs. (S3) No. 4 Clemson
Quarterfinals
L 1–4  3–2–2
Koskinen Stadium
Durham, NC
Spring Exhibition
February 19, 2021
5:00 p.m.
at VCU  Canceled due to COVID-19[11] 
Sports Backers Stadium
Richmond, VA
February 23, 2021
2:00 p.m.
at Virginia
Commonwealth Clash
W 1–0 
Klöckner Stadium
Charlottesville, VA
Spring Regular season
February 28, 2021
1:00 p.m.
at Coastal Carolina W 2–0  4–2–2
CCU Soccer Field (200)
Conway, SC
March 6, 2021
1:00 p.m.
No. 13 Duke L 2–4  4–3–2
(3–2–2)
Thompson Field (250)
Blacksburg, VA
March 13, 2021
5:00 p.m.
No. 21 No. 1 Clemson L 0–1 2OT 4–4–2
(3–3–2)
Thompson Field (250)
Blacksburg, VA
March 19, 2021
2:00 p.m., ACCNX
at Virginia
Commonwealth Clash
L 0–2  4–5–2
(3–4–2)
Klöckner Stadium (187)
Charlottesville, VA
March 27, 2021
1:00 p.m.
No. 5 Pittsburgh L 1–2 2OT 4–6–2
(3–5–2)
Thompson Field (600)
Blacksburg, VA
April 2, 2021
7:00 p.m.
at No. 15 North Carolina W 1–0  5–6–2
(4–5–2)
Dorrance Field (423)
Chapel Hill, NC
April 9, 2021
7:00 p.m.
at Notre Dame W 2–0  6–6–2
(5–5–2)
Alumni Stadium (203)
South Bend, IN
April 17, 2021*
5:00 p.m.
UMass T 3–3 2OT 6–6–3
Thompson Field (600)
Blacksburg, VA
NCAA Tournament
May 2, 2021
4:00 p.m.
vs. No. 15 Oregon State
Second Round
W 2–1 OT 7–6–3
Bryan Park (300)
Browns Summit, NC
May 6, 2021
9:00 p.m., NCAA Livestream
vs. (6) No. 6 Seton Hall
Third Round
T 2–2 (6–7 PKs) 2OT 7–6–4
WakeMed Soccer Park
Cary, NC
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from United Soccer Coaches. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.

Honors and awards

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Recipient Award Date Ref.
Jacob Labovitz ACC Offensive Player of the Week November 2, 2020 [12]
Kristo Strickler MAC Hermann Trophy Watchlist January 28, 2021 [13]
Nathan Durst ACC Defensive Player of the Week April 5, 2021 [14]
Kristo Strickler ACC Offensive Player of the Week
Daniel Pereira All ACC First-Team April 14, 2021 [15]
Kristo Strickler
Jacob Labovitz All ACC Third-Team
Kristo Strickler ACC Midfielder of the Year

Rankings

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Fall 2020

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Ranking movement
Legend: ██ Improvement in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. ██ Not ranked the previous week. RV=Others receiving votes.
Poll Wk
1
Wk
2
Wk
3
Wk
4
Wk
5
Wk
6
Wk
7
Wk
8
Wk
9
Final
United Soccer[16] 5 4

Spring 2021

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Ranking movement
Legend: ██ Improvement in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. ██ Not ranked the previous week. RV=Others receiving votes.
Poll Pre Wk
1
Wk
2
Wk
3
Wk
4
Wk
5
Wk
6
Wk
7
Wk
8
Wk
9
Wk
10
Wk
11
Wk
12
Wk
13
Final
United Soccer[16] None Released 13 21 25 RV None Released 15
TopDrawer Soccer [17] 11 10 10 10 10 17 18 15 16 16

2021 MLS SuperDraft

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Player Team Round Pick # Position
Daniel Pereira Austin FC 1 1 MF
Kristofer Strickler Houston Dynamo 2 30 FW

Source:[18]

References

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  1. ^ "Emmanuel Ameres". topdrawersoccer.com. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  2. ^ "Welnilton Da Silva". topdrawersoccer.com. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  3. ^ "Jack Dearie". topdrawersoccer.com. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  4. ^ "Cameron Joice". topdrawersoccer.com. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  5. ^ "Oryem Kilama". topdrawersoccer.com. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  6. ^ "Ethan Stevenson". topdrawersoccer.com. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  7. ^ "Virginia Picked to Win ACC North Region". virginiasports.com. September 8, 2020. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  8. ^ "2020 Men's Soccer Roster". hokiesports.com. Virginia Tech Athletics. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  9. ^ "2020 Men's Soccer Schedule". hokiesports.com. Virginia Tech Athletics. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  10. ^ "Spring schedule set for Hokies". hokiesports.com. Virginia Tech Athletics. January 27, 2021. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  11. ^ "Tech's friendly vs. VCU called off". hokiesports.com. Virginia Tech Athletics. February 17, 2021. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  12. ^ "VT's Labovitz, Wake's Benalcazar Earn ACC Men's Soccer Weekly Honors". theacc.com. The Atlantic Coast Conference. November 2, 2020. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
  13. ^ "2020-21 MAC Hermann Trophy Watch Lists Announced". unitedsoccercoaches.org. United Soccer Coaches. January 28, 2021. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  14. ^ "Virginia Tech's Strickler, Durst Claim Weekly ACC Men's Soccer Honors". theacc.com. The Atlantic Coast Conference. April 5, 2021. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  15. ^ "2020 All-ACC Men's Soccer Team Announced". theacc.com. The Atlantic Coast Conference. April 14, 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  16. ^ a b "NCAA DI Men's National Rankings". National Soccer Coaches Association of America. May 18, 2021. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  17. ^ "College Soccer National Rankings". TopDrawer Soccer. May 18, 2021. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  18. ^ "2021 MLS SuperDraft Tracker". MLSSoccer.com. Archived from the original on January 22, 2021. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
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