Image: 2011-08-24 23:18:45
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After finishing with five wins in each of the last two seasons, the Virginia Tech men’s soccer team is set to kick off its season Saturday against Howard University with hopes of winning at Thompson Field.
The task will not be easy, as six of Tech’s key opponents in the ACC are ranked in the top 25 in the nation, including Maryland, Virginia, Boston College, Wake Forest, North Carolina and Duke. The Hokies will also play Old Dominion and William & Mary who are also nationally ranked.
Coupled with a roster made up primarily of freshmen and sophomores, the team has a challenging task ahead this season, said third-year head coach Michael Brizendine.
“Week in, week out, we’re playing the teams that are the top 20 in the country,” Brizendine said. “The tough part is continuing to battle through. The quality of the teams we play in the best conference in the country — there’s a couple of teams that can win the national championship out of our group. This young group needs to get a taste of what it’s going to be like, especially for years to come.”
The ACC preseason poll, which was released Wednesday, picked the Hokies to finish last in the conference, which was not necessarily surprising, given the team’s playing in the last two years.
The poll picked North Carolina, earning 78 points, to win the ACC.
The Hokies earned just 11 points and were predicted to finish ninth. The team begins ACC play Sept. 10, at home against North Carolina.
Although many may have already counted Tech out on the soccer pitch, captain James Schupp, a fifth-year senior, doesn’t mind.
He prefers the role of the underdog as opponents may take Tech more lightly because of its performance over the last few years.
“The underdog will probably help us — opening the door so we can show people what we can do, and we will,” Schupp said.
One factor that may help Tech upset some of its opponents is that most of the players are healthy, including starting goalkeeper Kyle
Renfro.
A version of this article appeared in the Aug 25 issue of the Collegiate Times.
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