Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG, Va. – The Virginia Tech men’s soccer team will look to get back to their winning ways and improve upon their previous 1-1 draw against No. 19 Virginia when they play host to the VMI Keydets at Thompson Field on Tuesday night at Thompson Field.
The Hokies come into the match with a 3-4-5 record (1-2-5 ACC) while the Keydets have a 1-11-1 (1-6 Big South) mark.
Tech enters the match on the heels of a 1-1 draw with No. 19 Virginia. Tech got off to a quick start in the 4th minute when sophomore Kai Marshall slid a through ball to freshman Alessandro Mion. The Miami, Fla. native settled the ball and whipped in a cross that a Virginia player headed into their own goal to put Tech up 1-0. Virginia would bring things level in the 90th minute. Neither team could break the deadlock in overtime and the game finished in a 1-1 draw.
Senior goalkeeper Kyle Renfro made ten total saves, a tie for his career high, including a penalty kick stop in overtime.
Senior Aaron White leads the Keydets with eight points on the strength of three goals and two assists. Sophomore Kyle Forche has five points on the strength of one goal and three assists, while junior Blake McCauley is just behind him with four points (two goals).
Three goalkeepers have played for the Keydets this season with senior Daniel Kitchen earning the most time playing in 11 games so far. Kitchen has made 51 saves and has a 2.99 goals against average and a .637 save percentage.
The Hokies have faced VMI 29 times in the two schools’ histories with Tech leading the all-time series 26-2-1. Since their first meeting in 1972, the Hokies have outscored the Keydets 99-26. The last time the two teams met was in 2012, when the Hokies defeated the Keydets 3-1. David Clemens had a hat trick in that match while Connor Pompilio registered an assist.
Game time is slated for 7 p.m. Live stats and live video will be available for the match. The game will also serve as a Micah's Backpack Collection Night, with the requested food item being SpaghettiOs. All SpaghettiOs collected will be utilized in the Micah's Backpack program, helping to address children's hunger issues in the local community.