Men’s and women’s soccer has officially ended for the Buccaneers.
With the first at-large bid in program history, the men’s team traveled to Virginia Tech on Thursday, Nov. 17 for a chance to continue playing in the NCAA Tournament after a devastating loss in the SoCon final.
The match was 0-0 the majority of the first half until the Virginia Tech Hokies had two chances at corner kicks within a minute of one another. The first was knocked away by the Bucs but the second was sent to an open man on back post, and the Hokies took advantage.
Sophomore keeper Jonny Sutherland (Chester, UK) was unable to block the shot late in the first half, sending Virginia Tech up 1-0. It was the only shot scored all night.
The Bucs had four solid chances in the second half, but nothing would fall and Virginia Tech came out with the win.
“We talked about it before the game, just to go for it, and they did,” said Head Coach Bo Oshoniyi. “And they put everything out there to try and get the equalizer.”
Overall, the men’s team officially ends the season with a 12-5-3 record.
“They really over exceeded what we thought we could do this year,” said Coach Oshoniyi.
Four men’s players were awarded a spot on the first SoCon All-Conference Team and five others on the second All-Conference team.
ETSU sweeped the overall awards, with Sutherland being awarded Goalkeeper of the Year and defender Joe Pickering (East Sussex, England) awarded Freshman Player of the Year. Head Coach Bo Oshoniyi was awarded Coach of the Year.
The women’s season ended much like the men’s, with a hard 2-1 loss in their first-ever Southern Conference final against Samford on Nov. 6.
“The girls have a lot to be proud of this season and there are a lot of positives to take from this season into next season,” Sayers said. “The future looks bright and we have a lot to build on.”
The women had an overall successful 13-6-2 season and had 6 players placed on the first and second SoCon All-Conference teams.
Sophomores Elenora Goldoni (Ferrera, Italy) and Emily McKerlie (Dumfries, Scotland) earned a spot on the first team, with Goldoni leading the Bucs in scoring with 15 goals. Defender McKerlie accounted for six assists, the fourth highest in the SoCon, and started and played in every game this season for the Bucs.
Another sophomore, Irina Brutsch (Zurich, Switzerland), was placed on the second All-Conference team based on her eight assists.
