For the first time since 2019, the Virginia Tech Men’s Soccer team opened their season with a win.
Coming off a couple of challenging seasons, culminating in sixth place finishes in the Coastal division of the ACC each season, the Hokies got a chance to showcase their new roster, which has a fascinating mix of experienced returners and new additions.
The first ten minutes of the match were fairly shaky as goalkeeper Cooper Wenzel had to stick his leg out for a save less than three minutes into the match, and a North Florida goal was called off for a player being offsides just a couple minutes later.
However, the Hokies flipped a switch from there and played some of the best soccer they have in a couple of years. Midfielder Samy Kolby, a transfer from Charlotte, scored two goals in a span of eight minutes, matching his goal total from last season, and giving Virginia Tech a 2-0 lead going into the break.
The Hokies started the second half just as they left off the first, as Saint Louis transfer CJ Coppola, essentially put the game out of reach with a left side low finish. Head coach Mike Brizendine emphasized the importance of extending a lead to three afterwards.
"To be the third goal, that takes a lot of pressure off, you know? In soccer, you hit three-nothing, it’s great. Two-nothing is the worst score you can have," Brizendine
To finish off the blowout victory, 2023 All-ACC Freshman Team member Noe Uwimana, snuck one in the bottom right of the goal off of a free kick with just over 36 minutes remaining. This was the Hokies' fourth goal of the match, a total they never hit all of last season.
Following a couple difficult seasons, Virginia Tech knew they needed to make some changes, and if the first match is any indication, they may found that with a fascinating combination of returners and transfers. Two of the Hokies' three goal scorers were transfers as well as goalkeeper Cooper Wenzel, who recently won the starting job and saved all four shots that got to him. CJ Coppola expressed his excitement in the rebuilt roster after the game
“Today was great! We have a great new team this year, and I feel like everyone is sleeping on us, and we’re going to take it to them this year," Coppola said.
Perhaps some people’s expectations were a little too low due to the recent difficult seasons and the overhauled roster the Hokies rolled out. However, Samy Kolby revealed after the game how they were able to build chemistry this offseason despite the new combination of players that Kolby feels was important to their success.
“We had some time in the spring together, so I think that was a big help. Obviously we got a couple guys coming in now in the fall, but I think working together in the spring, and a couple new additions here in the fall really helped us," Kolby said.
Virginia Tech returns to Thompson Field for a showdown against UNC Asheville at 6 pm on Tuesday August 27th. Just under a week after that, they travel to Lexington, KY to face their toughest non-conference opponent yet in Kentucky
While North Florida isn’t as talented as many of the teams Virginia Tech is going to face this season, it is very encouraging for the Hokies to start their season with a win, especially in such convincing fashion.
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