hokies re-enter top-10 following a win and draw

Ishan Lamba

Staff Writer

October 5, 2021

BLACKSBURG — Virginia Tech was rewarded for its efforts the previous week with another top-10 ranking in the United Coaches Soccer Poll.

The Hokies (6-1-3, 2-1-1 ACC) came in at No. 9, nearly a month after their first top-10 ranking of the season (No. 6).

After losing to Duke in mid-September, VT climbed its way back up from No. 17. This past week, the Hokies defeated ETSU at home in a sound 2-0 victory before traveling to Chestnut Hill to play Boston College.

Against the depleted Eagles lineup, the Hokies would have liked to walk away with a win, and they had plenty of chances to do so. However, poor discipline at the net resulted in a 0-0 draw.

Despite the disappointment, Virginia Tech now looks ahead to its next matchup against No. 23 Louisville at home.

The Cardinals (7-3-0, 3-1-0 ACC) were ranked No. 11 following big in-conference wins against Wake Forest, Syracuse, and Boston College.

However, like the Hokies, they too fell to the Blue Devils in Durham, losing 3-1.

Friday will be a major test for two teams who have ACC tournament ambitions. For the Hokies, they are coming off a long stretch of play that has included three overtime games and two midweek slugfests in just over two weeks.

For the Cardinals, they have been able to dominate non-conference opponents but are still searching for a statement win against a quality opponent.

The two teams square off at Thompson Field this Friday.