Good evening, Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) sports fans. I can’t tell you a better place to be than the Washington, DC area in the Spring. If you are in the area, let me know – and I can give some great tips on hidden charms in Alexandria, VA.
Let’s right to it – Virginia Tech’s men’s soccer program is not good (and that’s being kind). Let’s review Mike Brizendine’s record as coach:
|
Year |
ACC Record |
Overall Record |
|
2009 |
2-6 |
5-12-2 |
|
2010 |
1-6-1 |
5-13-1 |
|
2011 |
1-6-1 |
4-13-2 |
|
2012 |
0-7-2 |
7-10-3 |
|
2013 |
1-5-5 |
4-8-5 |
|
2014 |
2-5-1 |
7-8-2 |
|
2015 |
0-5-3 |
5-9-3 |
[In 2014], the Hoyas went into the NCAA Tournament as the eighth overall seed and made it to the quarterfinals before failing to advance in penalty kicks against the University of Virginia, the eventual national champions. The team also boasted a number of individual successes.
Sophomore Joshua Yaro was named a First Team All-American and the BIG EAST Defender of the Year. Freshman Arun Basuljevic was the BIG EAST Rookie of the Year and junior Brandon Allen was also named an All-American. The Hoyas had goalkeeper Tomas Gomez drafted 60th overall in the Major League Soccer Draft and midfielder Tyler Rudy picked up by the New England Revolution as a Discovery Player.
This continued the momentum from the season prior, where the Hoyas returned to the NCAA Tournament as the sixth overall seed eventually falling in the Sweet 16. Individually, the Hoyas had two All-Americans in Steve Neumann and Allen. Neumann went on to be the No. 4 overall draft pick in the MLS SuperDraft and classmate Joey Dillon followed in the third round. In the BIG EAST, the team garnered five All-BIG EAST honors and had the Offensive Player, Midfielder and Goalkeeper of the Year as well as the BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year, the latter marking the second time in Wiese’s career.
When Wiese and company broke onto the national stage was in 2012, which will be remembered as the most successful in program history. The Hoyas went 19-4-3 with a mark of 6-2-0 in the BIG EAST Conference. The squad was the third overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and the 19 wins were the most in program history. The Hoyas were the BIG EAST Blue Division Champions, the BIG EAST Championship runners-up and advanced to the national championship game in penalty kicks in a thrilling game against the University of Maryland after Georgetown began the season unranked.
…..In his tenure at Georgetown, Wiese has coached seven All-Americans, 20 regional All-Americans, seven BIG EAST Players of the Year and 26 All-BIG EAST honorees as well as the College Cup Most Outstanding Offensive Player. On the academic side, he has had one Academic All-American, one Academic All-Region honoree, two BIG EAST Scholar-Athletes and one Elite89 Award winner.
The team has seen unprecedented success under Wiese with four NCAA Tournament berths in five years [Editor’s Note: Make that five in six now]. The squad has also won three BIG EAST Regular Season Championships, been ranked among the top 25 in seven seasons and made a trip to the BIG EAST Tournament championship game.
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