Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 10 No. 6 | June 2018

M E N ’ S S O C C E R P erhaps it comes as no coincidence that the resurgence of the Virginia Tech men’s soccer program started two years ago. The Hokies needed some scoring punch at the time and brought in a little-known transfer from Houston Baptist University named Marcelo Acuna. In his two years, the 6-foot-2 forward from Costa Rica served as a primary cog on a team that now has made back-to-back NCAA appearances. This past season, Acuna scored 12 goals and handed out three assists in leading the Hokies to a 10-10 record. For the second straight year, Tech won a game in the NCAA tournament, as the Hokies knocked off Air Force 2-0 in the first round behind Acuna’s goal and assist. Acuna was one of five Tech players to start all 20 games for the Hokies this past season (he started all 42 games in his career). His 12 goals ranked third in the ACC, and his 27 points were fifth. He also tallied five game-winning goals, a number that stood tied for second in the league at season’s end. Arguably, his most memorable game came in the Hokies’ 2-1 upset of then-No. 1 Notre Dame on Sept. 22. He scored the second of his two goals in the 71st minute after getting an assist from Rory Slevin to lift the Hokies to the upset—one of the main reasons why they received an at- large bid to the NCAA tournament. Acuna earned first-team All-ACC honors after earning second-team honors as a junior. He also closed his career by earning second-team honors to the United Soccer Coaches All-East Region squad and third-team honors to the Top Drawer Soccer Best XI team. The Hokies lose a lot of good players of this past year’s squad—and certainly Acuna ranks right up there among the best of that group. ACUNA SR • SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA Marcelo 30 Inside Hokie Sports