BLACKSBURG – Virginia Tech women's soccer coach Charles "Chugger" Adair has announced the team's 2018 schedule, a slate that features almost half of the squads coming off an appearance in the 2017 NCAA Tournament, including five that advanced to the Sweet 16.
The Hokies will play 10 regular-season matches at Thompson Field, half of those will be against those teams that made the postseason, and begins with the Virginia Tech Tournament with San Diego, Georgia and Georgetown coming to Blacksburg for the event. CLICK HERE to view full schedule.
"We are excited to announce the 2018 season and cannot wait for the season to begin," Adair said. "The 2018 fall season will bring many different challenges and competitive matches for the women's team. We play a pair of NCAA tournament teams in our nonconference slate as well as six NCAA tournament teams within our extremely challenging conference matches.
"The schedule is very balanced with games against the WCC, Big East and SEC in addition to our ACC matches. This schedule is set to test our players weekly and help us establish our team once again as a power in women's soccer and a trip back to the NCAA tournament."
Before the season-opening tournament, the Hokies will play a pair of scrimmages, one in Blacksburg against George Mason on Tuesday, August 7 at 6 p.m. and the other at Liberty in Lynchburg on Friday, August 10 at 6 p.m.
The 2018 fall opens on Friday, August 17 with the Hoyas facing Georgia at 5 p.m. before Tech plays San Diego in the nightcap at 7:30 p.m. The Bulldogs and San Diego start Sunday, August 19's games at 11:30 a.m. followed by the Hokies' first 2017 NCAA opponent Georgetown at 1:30 p.m.
The next two weekends include a Friday-Sunday home weekend versus UNC Wilmington and High Point and a trip to SEC opponents Alabama, an NCAA participant last year, and Georgia.
The Hokies will have a great opportunity just before ACC play starts on Friday, September 7, as they will travel to Chester, Pennsylvania to play Villanova at Talen Energy Stadium, the home of MLS's Philadelphia Union with kickoff scheduled for 5 p.m. Tech will finish nonconference play with ETSU at home on Monday at 7 p.m.
"Playing at Talen Energy Stadium will be a unique and exciting experience for the players," Adair said. "To play in one of the top modern soccer specific stadiums in the country will be an experience the players will never forget and it will be especially fun for the players from the Pennsylvania and New Jersey areas."
The 10-game ACC slate begins with two teams that made the Sweet 16 last season, the first is at Thompson Field – a Commonwealth Clash match-up versus Virginia on Friday, September 14 with a 5:30 p.m. start. The Hokies then have two Thursday-Sunday road weekends sandwiched around a home game against Pittsburgh on Saturday, September 29 at 7 p.m.
The first road series is in the state of Florida as Tech will open play at Florida State (7 p.m.) before heading to Miami (Noon). The month of October starts in Massachusetts against Boston College (7 p.m.) before heading south to Durham for a matchup with Final Four participant Duke on Sunday, October 7 at 2 p.m.
A three-game homestand against NCAA tournament teams from 2017 follow, starting with North Carolina on Saturday, October 13 (7 p.m.), continuing with Notre Dame on Thursday, October 18 (7 p.m.) and finishing off with Clemson on Sunday, October 21 (1 p.m.).
Tech's regular season ends at Louisville on Thursday, October 25, a 7 p.m. kickoff, and if the Hokies make it, the ACC postseason starts that following Sunday, October 28.
The top eight teams will advance to the ACC Women's Soccer Championship, with home sites utilized in the quarterfinals that Sunday. The semifinals and championship game will be competed at WakeMed Soccer Park in 2018.