ACC coaches have picked Virginia Tech’s men’s soccer team to finish third in the ACC North Region and have named forward Kristo Strickler one of 11 players to the preseason watch list.
This year in league play, teams will compete in two regions (North and South) with six conference games against regional opponents over a nine-week period. The North Region is composed of Louisville, Notre Dame, Pitt, Syracuse, Virginia and Virginia Tech while the South Region is made up of Clemson, Duke, NC State, North Carolina and Wake Forest.
Tech returns to action after finishing last season 10-6-3 and making it to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight year, the longest streak in program history. The team has made three Sweet Sixteen appearances under head coach Mike Brizendine.
Strickler is coming off a junior campaign that saw him garner second-team ACC and All-Region honors and lead the team in points (25), goals (11), multi-goal games (3) and game-winning goals (4).
The Hokies open their season at home on Thompson Field against Virginia on Oct. 3.
2020 ACC Men’s Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll
Overall Champion
- Clemson 2. Wake Forest 3. North Carolina
North Region
- Virginia 2. Pitt 3. Virginia Tech 4. Syracuse 5. Louisville 6. Notre Dame
South Region
- Clemson 2. Wake Forest 3. North Carolina 4. NC State 5. Duke
2020 Preseason Watch List
Kimarni Smith, Senior, Forward, Clemson; Jack Doran, Graduate, Midfielder, Duke; Pedro Fonseca, Junior, Forward, Louisville; Alec Smir, Junior, Goalkeeper, North Carolina; George Asomani, Senior, Midfielder, NC State; Jack Lynn, Junior, Forward, Notre Dame; Edward Kizza, Senior, Forward, Pitt; Sondre Norheim, Senior, Defender, Syracuse; Nathaniel Crofts, Senior, Forward, Virginia; Kristo Strickler, Senior, Forward, Virginia Tech; Michael DeShields, Senior, Defender, Wake Forest
— VT Athletics
