The Matchup
- The Greyhounds will travel to face off against ACC foe, Virginia Tech on Thursday evening. This will be the Greyhounds second matchup against an ACC team, as they battled to a draw against North Carolina in the season opener.
- This will be the 3rd meeting between the two programs. Their last meeting came in 2019, where Virginia Tech won 2-1.
Quick Hits
- They also return five of their top ten players in minutes played during the 2022 season;
Thomas Gray,
Richie Nichols,
Sean McEvoy, and
Danilo Seglio.
-
Steve Nichols enters his tenth season at the helm for the Greyhounds, and has amassed a record of 62-41-29 (41-13-14) during his tenure.
Key Returners
- Despite losing several key players from the 2022 team, the Greyhounds still return a key core.
-
Jake Mayer and
Jordy Luchies return to the back line, after they're 2022 season was cut short due to injury. Along with Mayer and Luchies,
Kyle Dengler,
Thomas Gray, and
Milan Miric return on the back line, where the Greyhounds ranked fourth in the Patriot League in goals allowed during 2022.
Welcome to the Greyhounds
- The Greyhounds welcome 17 newcomers to the roster in 2023, which includes three transfers and 14 Freshman.
-
Rolando Onu (Kent, England) transferred to the Greyhounds after two standout seasons at Eastern Florida State College.
-
Caden Stafford (Cincinnatus, NY) transferred to the Greyhounds after spending one season at Maryland. Stafford was named to the All-Big Ten Freshman Team after scoring three goals and tallying two assists.
-
Dylan Van der Walt (San Antonio, TX) joins the Greyhounds after spending his freshman season at Rutgers.
- The freshman class features players from five different states and two countries outside of the United States (
Ben Schouten: Canada,
Chris Ogor: England).
Scouting Virginia Tech
- The Hokies enter the matchup after losing their first two games of the season by a combined 9-2, losing to UCLA 4-1, and to Duquesne 5-1.
- Ethan Ballek has scored both goals on the season, while also leading the tem with 8 shots on the season.
- Connor Jordan-Hyde has started both games in goal, tallying 8 saves on 27 shots faced thus far this season.
- Virginia Tech was picked to finish in last place in the ACC Coastal Division Preseason Poll, receiving 22 points.
- The Hokies are coming off of a disapointing 2022 season, going 3-14-1 on the season.
- Conor Pugh is the leading returning goal-scorer for the Hokies, scoring three goals in 2022.
Quick Notes
- The Greyhounds are 39-11-9 in the Patriot League since the beginning of the 2016 season.
- In 2022, the Greyhounds set a program-high with 8 ties on the season.
- The Greyhounds are 9-0-1 since the beginning of the 2021 season when scoring multiple goals. They are also 9-0 when leading at halftime and 8-3-7 when they outshot opponents since the beginning of 2021.
- The Greyhounds recorded six shutouts during the 2022 season.
- In 2022, the Greyhounds outshot their opponents by a total of 225-158, despite being outscored 19-14 on the season.
- The Greyhounds play an aggressive style of play, one of which has resulted in them being called for the third most yellow cards in the country, with 50 in 2022.
- Fun fact:
Richie Nichols and
Caden Stafford were roommates during their Freshman year at Maryland.
Bounce Back Season
- 2022 was a down year for the Greyhounds, as their streak of four-straight regular season Championships came to an end.
- The Greyhounds also failed to make the Patriot League Championships for the first time since 2015.
-
Jordy Luchies and
Jake Mayer missed the majority of the 2022 season during injuries, but look to play major rolls on the back-line for the Greyhounds in 2023.
- Despite losing some key pieces following 2022, the Greyhounds re-tooled, bringing in 17 newcomers to the roster.
- With some important returners and key newcomers, the Greyhounds look to regain their form from the 2021 season, in which they won the Patriot League.
More on Luchies
- The Emmen, Netherlands native, Luchies comes into his junior season after being named to the 2021 First Team All-Patriot League team and as the 2022 Preseason Defender of the Year.
- Luchies 2022 campaign was cut short due to injury, but looks to get back to his dominance on the back line this year for the Greyhounds.
- Luchies was an anchor on the back line for the Greyhounds and was a crucial part of the Greyhounds defense.
- Luchies also tallied 1 assist during the 2021 season, and was the lone Greyhound to start in all 20 games.
