At this time last fall, Jerry Cheynet was in his 28th season at the helm of the Virginia Tech men’s soccer team.

One year later, things have changed drastically.

When the Hokies relieved Cheynet of his head coaching duties after last season, he planned to work as an assistant coach to Oliver Weiss for this season.

But when women’s coach Sam Okpodu left to coach Nigeria’s national team, Cheynet was asked to step in. He accepted.

Now he is set to take on Syracuse (2-9-2, 0-4-1 Big East) for his first time as a women’s coach.

Syracuse coaches and athletes refused to be interviewed for this story.

‘It’s been very enjoyable so far,’ Cheynet said. ‘I’m just going out and having a good time with it.’

After struggling early, Virginia Tech (4-8-1, 1-2-0 Big East) begins a critical set of games. After Sunday’s home game against Syracuse, the Hokies face West Virginia (13-1-1), St. John’s (7-4-3) and Connecticut (11-2-1).

Cheynet led his men’s team to the Big East tournament last season and insists that his women’s squad still has a shot this year. He believes Tech’s biggest game comes against St. John’s (2-3 Big East), the team the Hokies trail for the fourth and final tournament spot in the Northeast Division.

Tech earned its first Big East win of the year in its last game, a 3-2 victory over Providence. The Hokies led, 2-0, at halftime but nearly blew the game by giving up two second-half goals. In the previous game, against Boston College, they were ahead, 2-0, before giving up three goals in the last eight minutes.

‘We just lack confidence,’ Cheynet said. “We have defended well but had some tough luck.’

Cheynet said his team will look to attack SU early and feels that the first goal will be key.

Unlike the 4-5-1 formation used by SU, Cheynet’s team uses a 4-4-2 set. Cheynet said since Syracuse will only have one forward attacking, he can afford to use more forwards and midfielders in his attack.

‘We’ve really worked on protecting leads in practice this week,’ Cheynet said. ‘Hopefully we can attack more and score some goals.’

A major strength this season for Tech has been playing at home. The Hokies are 3-1-0 at Moseley Field and are in the middle of a five-game homestand. Cheynet said playing at home is always an advantage, especially for a younger team.

‘The crowd here really gets behind the team,’ Cheynet said. ‘It’s also nice for the girls when they know the field and can sleep in their own beds.’

Cheynet said the biggest difference between men’s and women’s soccer is speed. The men’s game is much faster, Cheynet said, but he still loves his new job. Now, he hopes his women’s team can enjoy the same success as his men’s squad a year ago.

Said Cheynet: ‘I’ve actually come to enjoy (women’s soccer) more than the men’s game.”

Published on October 17, 2002 at 12:00 pm