Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG, Va. – The 2013 College Cup champion, one College Cup semifinalist and two NCAA tournament participants highlight the Hokies’ 2014 slate as announced by head coach Mike Brizendine.
The Hokies open up the 2014 season with a slate of three exhibition games against Liberty, Wright State and ETSU before beginning up the regular season.
Tech opens up regular season with three-straight road contests beginning with SIU-Edwardsville on Aug. 29. The Cougars advanced to the semifinals of the MVC Tournament.
The Hokies will then travel to Saint Louis on Aug. 31 who finished the 2013 season with a 14-5-2 record and a No. 58 RPI ranking. Tech’s final match of the three-game road swing will be at West Virginia on Sept. 4.
The first home match of the season will be against Longwood on Sept. 9. Virginia Tech will kick off conference play three days later on Sept. 12 when the Hokies take on in state and conference rival UVA. The Cavaliers advanced all the way to the semifinals of the NCAA College Cup last season and boasted an impressive 13-6-5 record.
Tech will hit the road once more taking on UNC-Greensboro for a nonconference matchup on Sept 16.
The Hokies will then host a pair of matches, with the first being an ACC match on Sept. 19 against Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons made it all the way to the third round of the NCAA Tournament last season before they fell to eventual champions Notre Dame. The Hokies will then host George Washington on Sept. 23 for another nonconference match.
Returning back to conference play, the Hokies will travel across state lines on Sept. 26 to take on NC State. The Wolfpack finished with a No. 34 RPI ranking to end the season.
The Hokies will return home for a pair of matches, the first being a nonconference tilt with in-state foe VMI on Sept. 30. The next match for Tech will be against conference opponent Syracuse on Oct. 4. The Orange finished the 2013 season with a 10-7-1 record. The match against Syracuse will also serve as Alumni Night. The Hokies will be paying homage to the 1984 and 1985 Atlantic 10 Championship squads.
Tech will take to the road again to take on North Carolina. UNC finished with a No. 24 RPI ranking and posted a 9-6-5 record including a trip to the second round of the NCAA tournament.
The Hokies will return back to Thompson Field for a two-game home stand with the first game coming against High Point on Oct. 14 before taking on Pittsburgh for an ACC match on Oct. 17.
On Oct. 25, Tech will travel to South Bend, Ind. to take on defending national champion Notre Dame for their final regular season away contest. The Fighting Irish finished with a 17-1-6 record in 2013 and defeated the University of Maryland in the National Championship.
Tech will return home on Oct. 28 to take on Davidson before playing their final match of the season on Oct. 31 against Duke for its ACC closer. Duke posted a 9-5-8 record and finished with a No. 43 RPI ranking.
The 2014 ACC Championship will take place on Nov. 6-16. The first two rounds will be played at on-campus sites and the semifinals and finals will be played at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C.