While football season hasn't started just yet in Blacksburg, multiple of Virginia Tech's Olympic sports have gotten under way. With that said, here's a recap of the week that was in Virginia Tech Olympic sports.
Women's Soccer
Virginia Tech Takes Care of Business in Charleston
Virginia Tech women's soccer were the first sport to start official athletic competition this fall and they did that entering the season as the #17 team in the country. The Hokies started their season with two games in Charleston, South Carolina against quality SEC foes that tested them but could not stop the Hokies. Virginia Tech started out the season with a 1-0 victory over LSU with senior Murielle Tiernan scoring the game's only goal in the first half and freshman goalkeeper Mandy McGlynn having a clean sheet in her debut. Virginia Tech dominated this games as the Hokies had 17 shots compared to LSU's 1 in what was a statement that the Hokies will once again be a force in the ACC. The Hokies then survived a nail-bitter with Mississippi State with two goals from senior midfielder Candace Cephers in the final minutes helping the Hokies prevail. The Hokies got themselves a healthy early-season wake up call from a solid Mississippi State team but also found a way to survive and get the victory. For the Hokies, this was a healthy wake-up call that may have them cost them one spot in the polls but definitely showed the Hokies' toughness in finding a way to win along with a solid mix of veterans and youth rising to the occasion with Cephers and Tiernan scoring some big goals and McGlynn being reliable in goal.VT Continues Strong Start Back in Virginia
Virginia Tech returned home to the state of Virginia on Friday for their home opener against East Carolina and after a slow start in which they went down 1-0 early, the Hokies turned it on and put up five goals including four in the second half. Junior Alani Johnson led the way with two goals while Bridget Patch and Kelsey Irwin both picked up their first goals of their collegiate careers against ECU. The Hokies continued their strong start to the season with another strong 2-0 victory on the road at JMU on Sunday night to go to 4-0 on the season. Junior forward Alani Johnson was the star of the game with both goals on the evening to grow her overall season total to 4 while Mandy McGlynn had her second clean sheet of the season.Men's Soccer
VT Pulls Major Upset Off Against Ohio State, Beats Oakland
The Virginia Tech men's soccer kicked off their season as underdogs in a tournament at Ohio State against the 18th-ranked Buckeyes. In what was a physical game, the Hokies and Buckeyes were both held without a goal until the second overtime when transfer Marcelo Acuna headed home the game winner to give the Hokies a huge upset victory over the #18 team in the country on their home field. The Hokies built on their strong start to the season with a 3-0 victory over Oakland to clinch the title for the Ohio State Tournament. Forward Marcelo Acuna once again scored to put the Hokies on the board followed by goals from Andre Thomas and Elias Tamburini. VT's big upset victory could put them in contention to jump into the top 25 this week or put them close enough to jump in with another strong week.Volleyball
VT Survives On Friday, Cruises on Saturday
Virginia Tech Volleyball kicked off their season on Friday against Appalachian State in the Virginia Tech/Radford Invitational at Cassel Coliseum. While most expected an easy victory, Appalachian State came to play and forced the Hokies into a five-set thriller that was close throughout each set until the Hokies cruised to a 15-8 fifth set victory The Hokies took their medicine and did not overlook their next two opponents, leading to dominant 3-0 victories over both Siena and UMBC the following day to finish off the weekend with a 3-0 start to their season. Senior Lindsey Owens lead the way for the Hokies on the volleyball court this weekend while sophomore Jaila Tolbert is emerging as the star of the future for this team.Co-Athletes of the Week: Alani Johnson, Marcelo Acuna
Normally, we'll only have one player of the week but this week's choice was too difficult between these two student-athletes to only go with one of them. Alani Johnson was the star of this past weekend for the Hokies with four goals over two games including both goals on Saturday night in Harrisonburg. Johnson likely will be getting a whole lot more attention from opponents in the coming games after her strong performance this past weekend up top with Murielle Tiernan. After leading Houston Baptist with 10 goals in 2015 as a freshman, Marcelo Acuna has arrived and made a big impact for the Hokies as the Costa Rican scored the game winner
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