Hokie ClubRALEIGH, N.C. – Virginia Tech fell in a 2-0 hole early in the program's first NCAA tournament appearance, but quickly righted the ship answering with five straight goals to grab hold of a lead the Hokies would never relinquish as Tech defeated Georgetown 13-10 Friday afternoon.
Head coach John Sung alluded to the rust his squad showed briefly in a postgame press conference, but mentioned he was proud of the way the Hokies regrouped.
Shots, saves, draws, and turnovers were almost identical across the board Friday, but what set the Hokies apart was their execution. Tech shot 46 percent on the afternoon while the Hoyas could only muster 35 percent shooting, thanks in part to the fantastic play of Meagh Graham.
Graham had another outstanding afternoon, making double digit saves (10) for the fifth time in 2018. She also caused three turnovers and grabbed a game-high five ground balls.
Paige Petty and Tristan McGinley each found the back of the net four times and Marissa Davey added two goals of her own as the Hokies won its first NCAA game. Reilly Reed, a freshman scored a goal in the first half, her first since scoring twice against Old Dominion all the way back in February.
In the second half after the Hokies had built its largest lead of the day at seven goals, the Hoyas went on a spurt scoring five of the game's next six goals to close the gap. But Petty and Davey were equal to the task, adding goals within a minute of each other for the Hokies who advance to Sunday's Round of 16.
Georgetown (12-7) was led in scoring by Taylor Gebhardt's three goals and also saw Morgan Ryan and Caroline Frock score two apiece. Haelle Chomo took the loss in goal, surrendering 11 of Tech's 13 strikes while making six saves.
Tech advances to take on national 2 seed North Carolina, in what will be the teams' third matchup of the season. First draw is set for 1 p.m. on Sunday, May 13, from Cardinal Gibbons High School.