Collegiate Times

wsoccer_center

For the women’s soccer team, 2010 is shaping up to be among the best in the program’s history.

Based on last season’s success and the preseason polls, the No. 15 Hokies have entered the season with higher expectations than ever.

However, if the first two games of the season have shown anything, Virginia Tech is having no trouble living up to the talk.

The Hokies have already posted a 2-1 victory over Elon and a 3-0 defeat of American.

Following a 2009 season where the Hokies captured their first NCAA Tournament victory, Tech will be looking to improve upon its 16-8 record and make it further than the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 — where they lost 4-1 to Portland to end the season.

The Hokies ended the season ranked No. 12 in the nation with the knowledge that they could compete with anyone.

“This year, our expectations are just a tad bit higher,” said Kelly Cagle, head coach. “We’ve proved to ourselves that we can play on the highest levels, so we have to learn how to start out that way initially and that is a new challenge for us.”

In addition to retaining the team’s top three scorers in Marika Gray, Jennifer Harvey and Kelly Conheeney, the squad also returns the entire defensive unit that helped its goalie make a school-record nine shutouts.

“We work well out there, and I think it’s very trusting. I’d say that since we are used to each other, we know when people are going to cover for each other and where they are going to be when we’re on the ball,” said Kelly Lynch, a senior member of the defensive unit.

With all of the returning firepower the Hokies have, it is no surprise that they have earned the program’s first preseason top 15 ranking from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.

“They gave us big shoes to fill. I think that we should expect a lot out of each other being a high ranked team and also after playing with each other for so long,” Conheeney said.

Despite the national reputation, competing in the Atlantic Coast Conference will not be an easy task. The ACC features six teams in the top 20, including the two-time defending national champion North Carolina Tar Heels.

Perhaps the biggest question mark lies behind the stout Hokies defense and between the pipes. After two straight years of solid goaltending, where the team recorded nine shutouts in back-to-back years, Tech will look to freshman Dayle Colpitts to keep opponents off the board.

Colpitts has played in both games thus far, but because of inferior competition and the Hokies solid defense, she has yet to be seriously tested.

In the 2-1 opening victory against Emory, Colpitts let the opponent’s only shot get by her. In the game against American, she recorded her first career shutout, but only because American failed to get off a single shot in the entire game during the 3-0 rout.

Although Colpitts hasn’t been tested much thus far, Cagle has no doubt that she can compete at the highest level.

“I’ve seen her make some saves in practice that have been awe-inspiring,” Cagle said. “She’s going to make mistakes, but I think we’ll stand behind her because of who she is for us and she’s going to grow every game. She’s going to be fabulous.”

While Tech’s goalie might be the only freshman to start immediately, that doesn’t mean the other five freshmen won’t provide valuable playing time and be important factors in a successful 2010 campaign. Jasmine Reeves, Taylor Boone and Katie DeTuro have appeared in both games thus far, while Ashley Manning made her Tech debut against American.

The Hokies will spend the next couple of weeks on the road where they will take part in the Aggieland Invitational Tournament and the ACC/SEC Challenge. Both tournaments consist of two games and will match Tech with No. 8 Texas A&M, Long Beach State, Kentucky and LSU.

The Hokies next home game won’t be until Sept. 10 when Tech hosts the Hilton Garden Hokie Invitational and faces off against Villanova.

A version of this article appeared in the Aug 25 issue of the Collegiate Times.