Virginia Tech women’s soccer headed back to NCAA tourney

BLACKSBURG – For the fourth time within the last five seasons, the Virginia Tech women’s soccer team is once again headed to the NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Championship as announced during Monday’s selection show, as streamed courtesy of ncaa.com.

Virginia Tech (10-6-2, 4-5-1 ACC) will travel to seventh-seeded West Virginia for a first round match at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium in Morgantown on Sunday, Nov. 13 at 1:00 p.m. The Hokies will be making their 13th NCAA tournament appearance and their 12th during Chugger Adair’s 17 seasons in Blacksburg (12 seasons as head coach).

Monday’s NCAA tournament qualification is a direct result of Tech’s demanding 2022 regular season schedule that featured seven regular season matches against RPI top-20 opponents. Entering the selection window, the Hokies ranked No. 46 in RPI and spent one week of the season ranked inside the United Soccer Coaches top 25 poll.

 

Among the top performances of the 2022 season, Tech went on a three-game winning streak in the ACC, first defeating No. 22 NC State (1-0), Wake Forest (2-0) and finishing with a win at home versus No. 3 North Carolina on Oct. 1 (2-1). Two weeks later, Tech tied No. 13 Virginia (3-3) while hosting the Cavaliers in Blacksburg.

Tech is equipped with 12 goal scorers and 16 point-earners. The Hokies are led by their 2022 All-ACC Third Team and All-Freshman Team selection, Taylor Price, who set the pace for freshman forwards in the conference during the regular season accounting for eight goals and three assists.

 

Tech has the strength and skills to follow in the footsteps of its 2013 team that advanced as far as the College Cup. As a program, the Hokies have reached the round of 16 on five occasions, most recently in 2018. In 2021, Tech defeated its first round opponent, Ohio State, 3-1.

Tech’s 2022 first round opponent, West Virginia, championed the Big 12 as the No. 4 seed in the league’s conference tournament. The Mountaineers knocked off top-seeded Texas, 1-0, during the semifinal round prior to defeating second-seeded TCU, 1-0, during the title match.

The Hokies are 7-5-0 during NCAA tournament openers and boast a 6-2-1 record during home NCAA tournament matches (considering all rounds). This season, Tech went 5-3 across its eight regular season away matches, scoring 15 goals at a +2 goal differential.